JOINT ACTION COMMITTEE PROTECTION ON AGRICULTURAL LAND Vs. PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY IMPHAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This Writ Application has been filed by the Joint Action Committee, namely, Protection of Agricultural Land represented by General Secretary, Shri Oinam Raj Kumar Singh.

(2.) In Annexure-A/13 there is a list of 48 persons stated to be interested in this litigation. But none of these persons have come up before this Court. Annexure-A/13 shows the name of the owner of the land and the tenant farmer stated to be interested in this litigation. In Paragraph-14 it is stated, inter alia, as follows :--

(3.) This Writ Application has been filed for a direction to the Respondents not to destroy the area of agricultural land of 86 Acres in Revenue Village No. 91 of Meitei Langol at Imphal for the purpose of construction of dwelling houses and for a further direction to the Respondents to construct the same in some other non-cultivable land. The Action Committee as stated in Paragraph 1 has been formed jointly by the five registered local Clubs and supported by various organisations of other areas of Manipur. It is no-where stated that these petitioners have any link and/or interest in the land which is the subject-matter of this litigation. The Indian Olympic Association allowed the Government of Manipur to hoist the Vth "National Games" in Manipur in the year 1997-98. In order to construct the "Game Village" the authority wanted to acquire lands at Songkpham, Imphal, but later on that was given up and thereafter on 9-7-96 a notice was issued by the Planning and Development Authority (hereinafter called PDA, Respondent No. 1) and the foundation Stone for the construction of the "Game Village" was laid on 13-12-96. The PDA purchased 62 Acres and the rest are sought to be acquired by the PDA, if the owners do not voluntarily sell the land to PDA. Thereafter steps were taken for construction of houses. It is stated that large areas of fertile agricultural lands will be used for construction of dwelling houses, thus converting agricultural land to non-agricultural purposes. Reliance is also placed in a report under the Chairmanship of Shri C. S. Rao, the Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India which submitted the report in the year 1985 and that is, annexed as Annexure A/6.