Pune: Following the failure to disburse enhanced compensation to farmers despite court orders for lands acquired for the Pune bypass, the Public Works Department (PWD) office faced a major attachment drive on Tuesday (the 28th). Items including computers, printers, scanners, chairs, and air coolers were seized in the presence of court officials.
Land belonging to numerous farmers in Vadki, Loni Kalbhor, and Kunjeerwadi had been acquired for the bypass project. Deeming the initial compensation inadequate, the farmers filed claims for enhanced compensation in the civil court through Senior Advocate Vilas Kulkarni and Adv. Ritesh Kulkarni. Ruling in favor of the farmers, the court had sanctioned enhanced compensation per hectare of Rs 1,29,82,700 for dry crop land, Rs 1,94,74,100 for seasonal irrigated land, and Rs 2,59,65,400 for perennial irrigated land.
Following the ruling, farmers filed a total of 18 execution petitions to secure their compensation. Due to non-compliance, the civil court approved attachment warrants in 12 of those petitions. When a court team visited the PWD office on February 17 to execute the attachment, the department provided a written and verbal assurance to clear the entire compensation by May 15. However, the amount remained unpaid.
Consequently, enforcing the court orders for the second time on Tuesday, over 15 computers, more than 30 chairs, over 15 printers and scanners, and around 7 air coolers from the office of Executive Engineer Anuradha Bhandare (South Division) were seized and taken into court custody. Court bailiffs Tejas Lingayat and Shivaji Parade carried out the attachment in the presence of Adv. Pallavi Nandvate-Hodge, Adv. Mayuri Shah, Adv. Madhavi Vayadande, and Umesh Gadade.
The seized property will only be returned to the department after the full court-sanctioned compensation is disbursed to the respective farmers, until which time the attachment will remain in force, stated Adv. Ritesh Kulkarni, counsel for the farmers.
