HC tells govt to pay Rs 1.2 lakh every year as compensation to this family

DOOMED FAMILY!
According to legal advisor of GAKUVED ...
>> Government has provided a plot of land admeasuring 304 as against the 682 square meters acquired from the Parwatkar family
>> The provided plot falls under the "No Development Zone" as it is a "Archaeological Declared Site" according to Regional Plan 2021
>> The family will never be able to build a house on the land provided to them by the government
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PANAJI: The Bombay High Court at Goa has directed the State government to pay Rs 1.2 lakh as compensation per year to the Parvatkar family till such time they are rehabilitated in a new home.
In a stinging censure of the State administration's controversial demolition of the Parvatkars' home for the Panaji-Ponda highway expansion project, the High Court passed the interim order while admitting the petition filed by the victim family.
In his petition, Parvatkar has sought that the court declare null and void the land acquisition award of 2008 citing a provision of the new Land Acquisition Act of 2013 which states that all awards made under the previous Land Acquisition law of 1898, will be invalid if possession is not taken within five years of the award.
Meanwhile, the GAKUVED Federation which has been giving the Parvatkars support has slammed Tribal Affairs Ministers Govind Gaude for his recent comment that "no injustice" has been done by the government to the family.
Reacting to Gaude's comment published by 'The Goan', in which he had said that the government had not treated the Parvatkar family from Old Goa unfairly, Adv Suresh Palkar, legal advisor of GAKUVED said the minister is being misguided by officials of the various departments involved in the demolition of the Parvatkar house on the morning of August 17. Palkar also pointed out that while the government had provided a plot of land admeasuring 304 as against the 682 square meters acquired from the Parwatkar family, the plot falls under the "No Development Zone" as it is a "Archaeological Declared Site" according to Regional Plan 2021. "The family will never be able to build a house on the land provided to them by the government," explained Adv Palkar.
Palkar said the government had not seen to the rehabilitation of the family before demolishing their house. Rehabilitation and resettlement of the family is legally mandatory according to the "Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013."
The Federation also alleged that the whole exercise of demolishing the Parvatkar home was a conspiracy hatched by officials of the PWD, Collectorate, Police and the office of the Advocate General.
Palkar said, two members of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) controversially overturned its own order granting the Parvatkars relief, without the Chairperson of the Commission being present at the time.
"Only two members of the Commission were present on the day," said Adv Palkar. The house was demolished on Friday, August 17, which was a national holiday on account of the passing away of ex-Prime Minister Vajpayee, so the family could not approach any government authority on the day. The following two days were Saturday and Sunday, which meant that the family were left to their own means, and were literally on the streets. It will be remembered that the joint family not only have two elderly people, but a three year old child, and a pregnant woman. The family is still staying with friends who took them in.
As things stand, the petition that the family had put in the High Court came for hearing, and the High Court, on August 6, ordered the government to pay the family Rs 10,000 a month until such time that the family is rehabilitated. The Federation alleged that in this case, there is a conspiracy between the PWD, office of the Collector, office of the Advocate General, the TCP, the HRC and the Police. However, they have vowed to fight the case until the family gets justice.