Bhubaneswar, November 13: The land acquired by Vedanta Group for establishment of Vedanta University in Puri will be returned to the farmers who owned it, announced Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari.
In September this year, the Orissa High Court issued notice to the State authorities on the issue of return of land acquired for the university to be set up by Vedanta Foundation, now called the Anil Agarwal Foundation project along Puri-Konark Marine Drive.
The State Government had initiated land acquisition proceedings for the university between December 13, 2006 and August 21, 2007. In 2010, the Orissa High Court quashed the acquisition and directed Vedanta to return the land to their owners. Later, the Supreme Court also upheld the High Court’s order on April 12, 2023 ruled that acquisition of more than 8,000-acre land for Vedanta Group’s proposed university project along Puri-Konark Marine Drive was illegal.
“Puri district administration will soon start the process. A notification will be issued for return of the land following which the return process will begin,” said Pujari.
Notably, the Supreme Court in 2023 upheld the Orissa High Court order of November 2010 and ruled that acquisition of more than 8,000-acre land for Vedanta Group’s proposed university project along Puri-Konark Marine Drive was illegal.
In 2006, the Vedanta Group had sought land promising a world-class university with an investment of Rs 15,000 crore. Around 8,000 acres belonging to the private landowners covering 22 villages along Puri-Konark Marine Drive were acquired or were in the process of being acquired.
The previous BJD Government had handed over another 495 acres of land belonging to the State Government. While hearing a bunch of petitions by the land losers, the Orissa High Court in 2010 had quashed the procedure to acquire land for the project and asked the foundation to return the already acquired land.
Challenging the order, Vedanta Group had moved the Supreme Court which upheld an Orissa high court order of November 2010.
