Williamnagar, Feb 18: The compensation dispute over the widening of National Highway 217 (NH-217) has escalated, with the district administration deciding to re-survey properties of landowners who have refused to accept the government’s compensation package.

The decision follows an arbitration hearing held at the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) Office in Williamnagar on February 16, where affected land and property owners appeared before authorities after declining to sign compensation agreements. Officials informed them that a fresh re-verification of their properties would be undertaken within the next few days by the Deputy Commissioner (Revenue).

Several landowners have termed the compensation “grossly inadequate,” arguing that the amounts offered are insufficient to re-establish their businesses.

Shamina N. Sangma, who has been running her family shop in Rongjeng Bazar for nearly three decades, said the proposed compensation fails to reflect prevailing market realities.

“The amount of about Rs. 8 lakh being offered as compensation for my three-room shop in Rongjeng Bazar is very small and unreasonable. With this amount, I cannot even think of re-establishing my business at another location. Once the acquisition is completed, property prices will shoot up nearly tenfold. How are we supposed to restart our livelihood?” she asked.

M.G. Momin, another commercial shop owner in Rongjeng Bazar, echoed similar concerns.

“This compensation is very cheap and feels like a betrayal. With Rs. 6 lakh, my family and I will be ruined. We will lose our only source of livelihood,” he said.

Adding a legal dimension to the controversy, Garo social activist Cherian G. Momin alleged that the compensation process does not comply with the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013).

He pointed out that Section 30(1) of the Act mandates a 100% solatium on the market value of acquired land.

“The Government did not properly consider business rebuilding costs and the mandatory solatium under Section 30. The Act clearly requires a solatium of 100% of the market value to be paid. This has not been adequately factored into the compensation,” he claimed.

Momin also raised concerns over alleged deviations from the approved Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the NH-217 project.

Citing the Main Report (Volume I, August 2024, Page 142), he said the DPR categorically mentioned that no land acquisition was proposed in Rongjeng — classified as a “heavy built-up area” — due to the high cost of compensation for structures.

The DPR’s Chapter 9.9 (‘Project Viability & Conclusions’) states: “It may be mentioned that in Rongjeng (Heavy Built-up), no land acquisition has been proposed since LA and compensation for structures would have been enormous otherwise. Land acquisition has been proposed only at locations where it was absolutely unavoidable.”

Momin further alleged that no budget allocation was made for land acquisition in Rongjeng under the Rs. 95.88 crore estimate for the project. He argued that any deviation from the approved DPR would require a revised DPR, fresh approvals, environmental clearance, public consultation, and budget reallocation before implementation.

With the re-survey now announced, affected residents have urged the district administration to reassess the valuation process transparently and ensure strict compliance with both the approved DPR and statutory provisions before proceeding with acquisition.