VIJENDER JAIN,J - (1.) BY this judgment, we are deciding the above-mentioned Letters Patent Appeals and the Cross-Objections as the same have been preferred against common order dated 4.2.1988 of the learned Single Judge whereby he disposed of sixteen Regular First Appeals filed by the landowners/claimants and the State of Punjab.
(2.) PURSUANT to notification dated 9.11.1979 issued under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (for short, 'the Act'), the land in question situated within the revenue estate of Village Kara Bara was acquired for the purpose of establishing a New Vegetable Market at Ludhiana. The Land Acquisition Collector (for short, 'the Collector'), determined the compensation by categorizing the acquired land into two blocks as follows :- (i) Land abutting the bye-pass road upto a depth of 20 Karams at Rs. 50,000/- per acre. (ii) The rest of the land at Rs. 40,000/- per acre. The land-owners, feeling dis-satisfied with the award of the Collector, sought references under Section 18 of the Act. The District Judge, Ludhiana (hereinafter referred to as 'the Court of Reference'), while maintaining the categorization of the acquired land, assessed the compensation for the first category at Rs. 1,29,000/- per acre and for the second category at Rs. 96800/- per acre.
(3.) THE Regular First Appeals followed wherein the learned Single Judge upheld the award of the Court of Reference and did not grant any enhancement. Hence, these appeals by the land-owners as well as by the State of Punjab.;