Bhopal Municipal Corporation’s ‘high’ lease charges shock dairy owners

BHOPAL: Bhopal dairy owners are in shock after Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) handed over allotment letters with overpriced demand note of around Rs 30 lakh to them as lease amount. Calling the rates ‘highly exorbitant’, the central bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed to place the matter before the revenue, animal husbandry and urban development departments for review.
“In light of the direction issued on July 3, the owners of dairies approached the BMC and were handed over allotment letters with demand note. The bench is of view that these rates are highly exorbitant. Nonetheless, we would direct that the matter be placed before the said departments for review,” the green panel said.
The lease amount varies from Rs 20 to 30 lakh and has been assessed as the value for the grant of ‘patta’ (plot) based upon the value determined in accordance with the collector guidelines and development charges. “The principal secretaries of said departments may resolve this issue, as has been done previously in the case of Jabalpur where 19 hectares of land was set apart as per the direction issued by this tribunal for development of dairy hub at Khamaria. We expect that the government would take similar view in this matter as well,” the bench added.
The tribunal also noted that the admitted position is that none of the dairies have been shifted to the site at Kalapani and Tumda — the two spots which have been developed by the BMC.
The green bench headed by judicial member Justice Dalip Singh and expert member Satyawan Singh Garbyal stated that since the issue is primarily an environmental one, adequate facilities are required to be provided at the location identified and to be developed by the government. “We expect that the committee of three officials would take a decision keeping in view past precedents and also taking pragmatic view in favour of the environment and benefit of the local population of Bhopal,” the green court