Land collector rate review for aviation club expansion soon

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, February 21

After witnessing less enthusiasm among farmers to offer their land on e-bhoomi portal for the extension of the Karnal aviation club tarmac, the district administration has directed the Revenue Department to review the collector rates of the land in the surrounding areas of the club.

This step is being initiated following directions of the state government to approach farmers for negotiation to provide land for the ambitious project of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

The farmers have to offer 55 acres voluntarily on the e-bhoomi portal. In July last year, around 60 per cent of the farmers had given consent for the project, but the remaining did not offer their land due to less price given by the government.

According to sources in the Revenue Department, the collector rate near the aviation club is between Rs 32 and 35 lakh per acre, while farmers are demanding Rs 80 lakh to 1.5 crore per acre.

“We are ready to offer our land for this project, but a meagre amount is being offered to us. We want that the government should assess the proper rate of our land,” said a farmer.

“The state government has asked us to approach farmers for negotiation. We will reach farmers, but before it I have asked Revenue Department officials to review the collector rates in the vicinity,” said Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner.

He is hopeful the work on the project will commence soon. “I am hopeful the farmers will voluntarily offer their land for the project and the work will commence soon,” he maintained.

The existing tarmac of the aviation club will be extended from 3,050 feet to 5,000 feet for the landing of light aircraft -ATR-42, Q-400 and small business Jet Aircraft.

The project has been hanging fire for the last eight years as earlier during the previous Congress government, a proposal for 18 acres was sent in 2012. Later, the Chief Minister had announced on November 8, 2014, to develop aviation club as domestic airport for which 22 acres additional land was required for the landing of light aircraft-ATR-42, Q-400 and small business Jet aircraft. Later, another proposal of 28 acres, two kanal and four marla was sent on October 13, 2016, but it could not be implemented.