Compensation of ₹ 164.28 crore sanctioned for land acquisitions made to establish Bharathiar University

₹164.28 crore approved for land acquisition compensation for Bharathiar University, resolving disputes for 925.84 acres in Coimbatore.

The Higher Education Department has sanctioned ₹164.28 crore for disbursement to land owners from whom 925.84 acres were acquired in Vadavalli and Somaiyampalayam villages during 1978-86 for establishment of Bharathiar University.

Owners of 843.30 acres had filed 20 Land Acquisition Original Petition (LAOP) cases before the Sub-Court, Coimbatore, unsatisfied with the land values ranging from ₹33 to ₹85 for every cent, fixed by the Land Acquisition Officer, in 1984.

Final orders were passed by High Court of Madras during 2022, but Special Leave Petitions were filed before Supreme Court of India against the orders by the aggrieved land owners.

In one LAOP case, the High Court had confirmed enhancement of compensation to ₹2.21 crore, covering 43.63 acres, to 73 land owners. For the 1,150 remaining land owners covering 799.67 acres, the appeal suits were dismissed.

To settle the issue in an amicable manner, a meeting was held on January 30, 2026, chaired by the Chief Secretary of Tamil Nadu.

The Coimbatore Collector had suggested that unutilised land to the extent of 196.22 acres be transferred to TIDCO for utilisation and development of industries and parks to launch their eco-friendly and non-manufacturing industrial uses.