DAGDABAI VITTHAL KADAM Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

JUDGEMENT

(1.) Rule. Rule made returnable forthwith. With the consent of the parties, Writ Petition is taken up for final hearing and disposal since pleadings are complete.

(2.) This is a Petition essentially seeking a direction against the District Rehabilitation Officer/District Collector, Satara, Respondent No.2 ("Respondent No.2") for allotment of alternate land admeasuring 300 sq.ft. on the premise that the Petitioner is a project affected person of the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary Project ("Project"). The Petitioner's late husband was the original owner of a house bearing no. 30 situated at Village Zhadoli (Ambeghar), Taluka Patan, District Satara admeasuring 300 sq.ft. which came to be acquired for purposes of the Project under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 ("Wild Life Act").

(3.) The Petitioner's case is that she had been living for almost 60 years in the said property prior to losing her house, when it was taken over in 2012, pursuant to the acquisition. The Petitioner's three stepsons also handed over their respective agricultural and non-agricultural properties for the Koyna Project, the Petition states, as did various project affected families who were rehabilitated under the Rehabilitation Program pursuant to the acquisition. The Petitioner's grievance is that she has neither received any alternate land nor any other accommodation. In fact, the Petitioner's grievance is that her name was not even included in the list of project affected persons.