The Haryana State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) has asked over 1,200 units in the industrial belt to pay enhanced rates for the land acquired to build the township.

And the amount comes to a substantial Rs 39 lakh per acre.

Worse, they have a 30-day deadline to meet.

The HSIIDC order follows the Supreme Court's recent directive to pay enhanced compensation rates to farmers for the land acquired.

In 1994, the government had acquired their land at a rate of Rs 4.5 lakh per acre to set up the IMT. The farmers approached the court, seeking a hike in compensation to Rs 15 lakh per acre.

Industrialists are not happy with the corporation order.

They say that whereas the court asked the corporation to recover Rs 10 lakh per acre, the HSIIDC is demanding Rs 39 lakh by adding interest from 1994 and other charges.

"These notices are like death orders. Industrialists already affected by the meltdown are not in position to bear this additional burden. Many may move out," said Manoj Tyagi, president of IMT Industries Association.

"We do not understand why HSIIDC is demanding Rs 39 lakh when the SC fixed it at Rs 10 lakh per acre. We are going to meet corporation officials on Tuesday," he added.

Amina Sherwani, who runs an IT company in Sector 5, said the corporation had no right to ask for additional cost of land as it had failed to provide basic amenities.

Harbhajan Singh, DGM of Honda Scooters & Motorcycles, said it was not the correct time to serve such notices.

"Just a couple of months back, we paid Rs 4 crore as enhancement cost. We will examine the notices legally and then decide on the payment," Singh added.

Divya Kamal, deputy general manager of HSIIDC, said the government was helpless as the notices were issued on the Supreme Court's directions.

"We can only offer to accept payment in instalments, subject to approval by our managing director. HSIIDC has paid additional compensation of Rs 306 crore to farmers at the rate of Rs 10 lakh per acre till 2009. We need to recover the money from the industrialists, which is the part of the allotment conditions," Kamal said.