The ambitious expansion of the Bhopal Metro Rail project has hit a significant bureaucratic hurdle as missing land ownership records have frozen a Rs 14.5 crore compensation fund. While the district administration has allocated nearly Rs 10 crore for Chiklod Road and Rs 4.5 crore for the Aishbagh area, nearly 200 affected families find themselves in a legal limbo, unable to prove their titles despite possessing municipal tax receipts.

 

The core of the dispute lies in the outdated nature of land records. Most of the identified land falls under the ‘Abadi’ (settlement) category, originally allocated to the ancestors of current residents during the Nawab era. Over generations, these properties were inherited through family lineages; however, formal mutation (transfer of name in Government records) was never processed. While residents like Dilip Singh and Radheshyam Sahu possess municipal registries and decades of property tax records, the Revenue Department’s primary ledger still lists the land under the names of their grandfathers or great-grandfathers.

 

Because of this missing link between the current claimants and the original recorded owners, the district administration is legally unable to issue the mandatory Land Possession Certificate (LPC). Government regulations are stringent: Compensation can only be disbursed to individuals whose names appear in the official Khasra or revenue record. Consequently, even though the Metro alignment cuts directly through these properties on a crucial 1-kilometre patch, the administration cannot cut the checks. The delay is affecting two of the most critical segments of the project. The Chiklod Road and Aishbagh patches are vital for the main metro line.

 

Residents whose houses are slated for demolition have submitted their files to the Collector’s office, but the files remain pending due to the lack of updated titles. Funds ready, verification mandatory: Metro management and the Collectorate have clarified that the delay is not due to a budget crunch. The funds are fully allocated, but public money cannot be distributed without absolute legal verification. The fund is ready for distribution, and we are committed to providing relief to those affected. However, we cannot bypass mandatory legal verification under Government norms. To receive funds in their bank accounts, residents must either present an updated title or provide legally verified succession certificates and genealogy documents to establish their claim,” Metro Management.