Ahmedabad: Gujarat High Court has upheld the allotment of nearly nine acres of land in Jamnagar to Reliance Industries Ltd for its special economic zone, while setting aside a state revenue department order that had revived a decades-old re-grant claim.
Justice Devan Desai quashed the Oct 2008 order of the secretary, revenue department (appeals), and restored the Jamnagar collector’s May 2006 decision rejecting the claim on the ground of delay.
The land was originally allotted to Deva Sajan Rabari in June 1962 for cultivation, subject to the condition that it be brought under cultivation within two years. After finding that the conditions had been breached, the deputy collector cancelled the allotment in Dec 1972, following which the land was recorded as govt-owned wasteland. Rabari’s successor applied for re-grant in 2005, after a gap of 33 years, relying on a 1982 state govt resolution. The collector rejected the application in 2006. RIL had been allotted the land in April 2008 under the state govt’s plan to facilitate a petroleum and petrochemical SEZ in Jamnagar. The court also relied on a 1984 govt resolution, which said re-grant should not be accepted where govt land had remained under state ownership for a long period, had increased in value and had acquired non-agricultural utility.
You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Ahmedabad | Silver Rate in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad | Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Petrol Price in Ahmedabad | Diesel Price in Ahmedabad | CNG Price in Ahmedabad | LPG Price in Ahmedabad Stay updated with the latest Ahmedabad news. The dispute concerned nine acres and seven gunthas of land in Navagam village of Lalpur taluka. The revenue department secretary later set aside that decision and directed fresh consideration of the claim, while rejecting RIL’s request to be joined as a party to the proceedings. The company paid the consideration and took possession. The court held that the claimant had not offered a convincing explanation for the prolonged delay and had failed to produce material showing that the original allottee had taken possession and cultivated the land within the prescribed period. Download the TOI App.