Lucknow, Jan. 11 -- In a major relief to farmers, the Uttar Pradesh government is set to more than double the compensation for land affected by high-tension power lines and transmission towers by adopting the Central government's Right of Way (RoW) guidelines notified around three years ago. The move will standardise compensation across the state and bring UP at par with several other states that have implemented the revised norms. "Since UP has not adopted the Centre's revised compensation guidelines, affected farmers are not getting fair compensation which is sometimes arbitrarily decided by DMs (district magistrates) with more farmers going to courts," a senior energy department official said. According to officials, the proposal for adoption of the Centre's amended guidelines is scheduled to be cleared by the chief secretary-headed Energy Task Force (ETF) by the middle of the month. "Once approved, it will be placed before the state Cabinet for final clearance," he said. Under the new policy, farmers will receive 200% compensation for land used for the installation of transmission towers, as against about 85% under the earlier system. The compensation will be calculated based on the market value determined as per collector guidelines. In addition, there may be a proposal to include an extra one to one metre of land around the tower base within the compensable area to account for the actual loss of cultivable land. This is expected to address long-standing complaints from farmers that the earlier compensation did not reflect the real impact on agricultural activity. The proposal also seeks to entitle farmers to 30% compensation per metre for the land falling under the transmission line corridor (conductor area) between two towers. This provision aims to compensate for restrictions on farming operations and the reduction in land value caused by overhead high-tension lines. The proposal is in keeping with the Union ministry of power's RoW guidelines, which provide for 200 percent compensation for tower base land and graded compensation for corridor areas depending on whether the land is rural, urban, or within municipal limits. The compensation will be based on the prevailing circle rates in the area.Officials said that as per the Electricity Act, 2003, land is not permanently acquired for laying transmission lines, and ownership remains with the farmer. Therefore, provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 do not apply. The RoW compensation mechanism is intended to balance infrastructure development with farmers' rights. Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab, have already implemented the revised RoW norms following changes made under the CEA Right of Way Rules, 2022. Officials believe the revised compensation framework will also reduce disputes and delays in critical power transmission projects. "However, the revised guidelines once adopted will come into effect with a prospective effect only," a UP Power Transmission Power Corporation Ltd (UPPTCL) official said, adding, " UP has built 62,000 KM transmission lines so far."...