Chandigarh, March 3 (IANS) The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) has sanctioned Rs.33.86 crore as annuity amount to be given to the farmers whose land has been acquired by the estate department till Dec 31, 2009, officials said here Wednesday.

A HUDA spokesman said out of the total amount, Rs.18.15 crore had been disbursed among the land owners up to Dec 31. 'The process of disbursement is on and the remaining amount will be given in the coming days,' he said.

According to government rules, in addition to compensation for land, the land owners will be given an annuity of Rs.15,000 per acre every year for 33 years with an annual increase of Rs.500 per acre. 'If the land is acquired by the private developers, the annuity is Rs.30,000 per acre every year for 33 years with an annual increase of Rs.1,000 per year,' he said.

The state government in the last few months has acquired thousands of acres of land to develop special economic zones (SEZs) and facilitate other works in the state.

The spokesman said as part of the rehabilitation package, people whose land had been acquired had been allotted residential plots and commercial booths.