Srinagar: The High Court of J&K and Ladakh has asked the Defence Forces, Government of India (GoI), to disburse compensation to the farmers — whose land situated around Srinagar Airport remains under their occupation for the past many years — within six months.
The farmers had filed a petition in the High Court for genuine compensation by the GoI, Ministry of Defence, for thousands of kanals of their cultivable land at Damodar Karewa near the Srinagar Airport.
A single judge bench of the court, which a few weeks ago avoided setting any time-frame for acquisition and payment of compensation, had directed the respondent forces to carry forward the matter to its logical conclusion.
The farmers filed an appeal against the single bench order and prayed that a time limit be set for the purpose so that they are freed from painful bureaucratic procedures and compensated for their productive and ancestral land.
A division bench of Justices Mohammad Yousuf Wani and Sanjeev Kumar found merit in the farmers’ plea and observed that the appellate farmers are aggrieved that the Writ Court has not provided the time-line and kept the process to be concluded by the respondents open-ended.
The division bench ordered “having regard to the submissions made by the learned counsel for the parties and the nature of the grievance projected by the appellant in this appeal, we are of the considered opinion that this appeal can be disposed of by providing that the needful in terms of the impugned order and judgment dated 03.04.2025 passed by the Writ Court shall be done by the respondent Union of India within a period of six months positively”.
The land according to the petitioners belongs to poor farmers from several villages located around Srinagar airport including Humhama, Rawalpora, Gogoland, Rangreth, Kralpora, Wathoora, Buchroo, Lalgam, Panzan, Gudsathoo and others.
The process for land acquisition began under J&K Requisitioning and Acquisition of Immovable Properties Act in the year 2011, but till date the final payment is yet to be disbursed, say the aggrieved farmers.
The petitioner farmers said that in 2013-14 they were paid a measly compensation of Rs 4.80 lakhs per kanal.
However, after much public outcry, the Collector and Defence Estates Department later on decided that the affected farmers be paid Rs 18 to 20 lakhs per kanal. But even after 11 to 12 years, the officially awarded compensation is yet to be paid to the affected families, they said.
The farmers also say that the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act was extended to J&K post-Article 370 abrogation but the affected farmers have been singled out here as well.
The official apathy has even deprived the farmers of Rs 18 to 20 lakhs per kanal despite the market rate of this land being approximately Rs 2 crores per kanal in these areas, they added.
The respondents in the earlier court direction had also been directed to bear in mind the fact that even the Supreme Court of India in its order dated 14.12.2009 had set up a timeline for doing the exercise. This, according to the court, had also expired long back without the desired exercise been taken to its logical end and closure.
The petition had been filed under “Zamindaran Committee” through its president Shabir Ahmad Sofi.
