Jampui Hill Landowners Await Compensation for 7 Years as NHIDCL Delays, Tripura Government Remains Silent
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, June 12, 2025
Around 15 to 20 landowners in the Tlaksih to Thumlai stretch of the Manu-Simluang Road (NH-44A, Package IV) in Jampui Hill, North Tripura, are still waiting for compensation, more than seven years after their land was acquired by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) for a highway project. Despite the completion of all legal formalities and the absence of any ownership disputes, the affected families remain uncompensated, with the state government showing no signs of urgency to address the issue.
The land acquisition process was initiated by the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA), represented by the Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of North Tripura. Official notifications under Section 3A and 3D of the National Highways Act, 1956 were issued on June 25, 2018, and February 4, 2019, respectively. The final compensation award was declared on January 19, 2021. Yet, despite continuous appeals and official follow-ups by the landowners, NHIDCL has failed to disburse the compensation.
According to reliable sources, there are no legal hurdles or disputes delaying the payment. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Kanchanpur had completed the necessary assessment and forwarded it to the CALA. Moreover, funds for the compensation are reportedly available. However, NHIDCL continues to delay payment citing reasons such as changes in project alignment, a new Detailed Project Report (DPR), and replacement of the contractor.
The delay has caused severe hardship for the affected families. Nearly 7 to 10 houses were demolished during land acquisition, leaving many residents in makeshift shelters with leaking roofs and damaged windows. Their horticultural crops and arecanut plantations have also suffered due to abandonment, pest attacks, and overgrowth.
Frustrated by the prolonged neglect, the landowners once again approached the ADM of North Tripura in April 2025. The matter was forwarded to NHIDCL’s Project Management Unit in Dharmanagar. However, NHIDCL officials asserted that since the acquisition process under the NH Act, 1956 is complete, the land cannot be de-notified. This has further angered residents who question why, if the land is acquired and funds are available, the compensation has not been paid.
The landowners are now appealing to the District Magistrate of North Tripura and the local MLA and Industries & Commerce Minister, Smt. Santana Chakma, to intervene immediately. They have warned that if no compensation is paid by July, they will seek legal recourse through the Hon’ble Tripura High Court.
This unresolved case highlights the broader issues of bureaucratic apathy and lack of accountability in infrastructure-related land acquisition, raising concerns over the treatment of rural citizens whose lives and livelihoods are uprooted in the name of development.
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