SC asks NHAI to pay farmers higher land compensation

Coming down heavily on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for paying “peanuts to landowners”, the Supreme Court has asked the highways authority to deposit the entire enhanced amount of land compensation to be paid to landowners/farmers whose lands were acquired for widening of National Highway No. 24 on the Bareilly-Sitapur Section of Uttar Pradesh. The apex court also allowed the landowners to withdraw half of the amount so paid by the NHAI.