Court attaches train over unpaid compensation to farmer

In an unprecedented order, a court here attached the Swarna Shatabdi train after the Northern Railways failed to comply with its 2015 order on enhanced compensation to an aggrieved farmer whose land was acquired for laying tracks.

The Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge passed the orders in an execution filed by farmer Sampuran Singh of village Katana on Wednesday.

In this order, one room of Ludhiana Station Superintendent was also attached. When the Swarna Shatabdi train that runs between Amritsar and Delhi reached Ludhiana railway station in the evening on Wednesday, the farmer went to the railway station with court orders, in an embarrassment for railway authorities.

However, the authorities heaved a sigh of relief when train was released on 'Sapurdari' to Section Officer Northern Railways Pardeep Kumar.

Sampuran knocked the door of court for the recovery of outstanding amount of around Rs one crore in the land acquisition case.

The court had passed the award in his favour in 2015 following the acquiring of land for laying of Ludhiana -Chandigarh railway line in the year 2007.

The railway authorities paid around Rs 37 lakh to the farmer. But as per Sampuran Singh, a large amount was yet to be paid in lieu of acquiring of land by railways.

According to the execution petition filed, Sampuran claimed the Northern Railways failed to pay a compensation amount of Rs 1.05 crore for his land acquired. The compensation amount was enhanced by the court to Rs 50 lakh per acre but the railways failed to pay the amount, he said.

Of the total Rs 1.47 crore, the railways paid only Rs 42 lakh. While the claim petition was filed in 2012, the court had ordered the railways to pay the remaining amount in January 2015.