Farmers get ₹48 cr. additional relief through mediation for land lost to irrigation projects

Land acquisition disputes for irrigation projects resolved through mediation, providing farmers with long-awaited compensation and justice.

In a significant development, 120 pending appeals concerning additional compensation for land acquisition under various irrigation projects, including Bennethora, Mullamari Lower Bank and Amarja, were amicably settled through mediation here on Tuesday. The settlement process was led by retired High Court judge A.V. Chandrashekar.

The conciliation took place at the conference hall of the High Court of Karnataka in Kalaburagi where legal representatives of the Irrigation Department, the Advocate General and lawyers representing affected farmers came to a mutual agreement and signed the compensation settlement documents.

Representing the State government was Advocate General K. Shashikiran Shetty, while advocates Lalitha Mohini Bhatt and Sudarshan, along with their team, represented the Karnataka Neeravari Nigam.

Farmers were represented by advocates Harshavardhan Mali Patil, Vishal Ashtagi, and Shivashankar Mannur.

Mr. Chandrashekar explained that farmers who lost their land to various irrigation projects approached the Supreme Court seeking higher compensation. The Supreme Court, recognising the prolonged nature of the litigation and the toll that it would take on farmers, suggested resolving the cases through mediation. Accordingly, the High Court of Karnataka appointed Mr. Chandrashekar as mediator.

“By bringing together the Irrigation Department, government advocates and the farmers, we have resolved disputes that were over two decades old through mutual consent. Thanks to everyone’s cooperation, we reached a unanimous decision. Under Section 89 of the Civil Procedure Code, this is a success story for mediation,” said Mr. Chandrashekar, expressing appreciation for all parties involved.

“The settled cases relate to the acquisition of approximately 700 acres of land. Compensation amounts were determined based on the year of acquisition and whether the land was irrigated or non-irrigated. The State government has agreed to transfer the total compensation amount of ₹48 crore directly into farmers accounts within four months,” he added.