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Patna,(BiharTimes): A division bench of the Patna High Court comprising Justice Prakash Chandra Verma and Justice A Amanullah on Wednesday stayed the construction work of a beer factory being set up by Vijay Mallya-owned UB Group, at Naubatpur in Patna district. The Court stayed construction work till March 14, when the case would be taken up for further hearing. |
The Court passed the order on a bunch of PILs filed by farmers whose land were acquired by the state government.
The petitioners’ lawyer Ambuj Nayan Choubey told the Court that the state government had, in 2008, acquired 98 acres of land from farmers on the pretext of setting up a sugar factory. However, the government later handed over the land to the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA). The latter transferred 42 acres of land to the UB Group for setting up a beer factory.
The counsel also told the Court that this violated the constitutional norms as the state government had initially acquired the land for public purpose but later on gave it to a private company.
The petitioners had requested the Court to scrap acquisition and direct the government to return their land.
Representing the state government the Additional advocate general (AAG) Lalit Kishore, told the Court that all procedures had been followed before acquisition. The acquisition comes under public purpose, as the state was short of industries and so the government decided to hand over the land for setting up a beer factory, as that will ultimately generate employment and revenue.
The Court, however, asked the state government to clarify its position by March 14. It also called on the state government to explain as to why the land meant for sugar mills have been given to beer factory.
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