Aizawl: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang railway line on September 12, the long-standing dispute over compensation for land acquisition is moving towards resolution following a fresh joint verification exercise by the district administration and the Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR).
The project, which runs through Sairang and Sihhmui in Aizawl district, had initially seen compensation awarded under Award No. 5 of 2012 and Award No. 3 of 2019, covering 128 and 72 land holdings respectively. While NFR had originally allotted Rs 340 crore, the amount disbursed so far stands at Rs 523 crore.
Tensions resurfaced when some farmers claimed they had not received compensation despite the railway line crossing their land. Previous surveys in 2022 and 2024 had examined these claims, but additional awards were not sanctioned at the time.
In response to renewed pressure, the Deputy Commissioner and NFR officials held a joint meeting on July 30, 2025, deciding to carry out another round of verification.
From August 19 to September 1, 2025, a team comprising the Deputy Commissioner, NFR engineers, and surveyors reassessed 14 disputed claims. The verification found that seven plots were indeed within the railway’s right of way, while the remaining cases could not be processed due to insufficient evidence.
Officials said the process had been complicated by the destruction of the Marked Land Acquisition Plan in a fire at the DC’s office, leaving the administration without key survey records.
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