Fast-track court orders closure of Kolasib PWD engineer’s office over unpaid compensation

Aizawl: A fast-track court in Kolasib district has ordered to shut down the office of the executive engineer, Kolasib division of the PWD, because of failure to pay compensation to 62 landowners.The Mizoram PWD undertook widening of Serkhan to Bagha road during 2013-2014. During this project, private land was damaged for which the district administration had settled compensation amount to be given to the affected landowners.However, the PWD failed to disburse the compensation amounting to over Rs 3.42 crore to 62 landowners of Saiphai and North Chaltlang villages.The landowners took the matter to the court and the case was taken up by a district court which transferred the case to the fast-track court.The fast-track court in Dec last year pronounced an order that the PWD should disburse compensation to the landowners within two months.After the PWD did not pay the compensation even after the stipulated deadline, the landowners filed an execution petition before a district court in Kolasib district in March.The PWD failed to pay the compensation even after the court extended the deadline, resulting in the judge of the fast-track court R Vanlalena issuing an order for closure of the office of the executive engineer’s office in Kolasib. The court also attached all the trucks, excavators and other heavy machinery belonging to the PWD, which are liable to be auctioned and disposed of under the provisions of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908.