Act, the notification of 2015 under the new Acquisition Act of 2013 makes solatium and interest payable in cases covered by both Acts. In fact, with effect from 1st January, 2015, an Amendment Ordinance No.9 of 2014 was promulgated amending the 2013 Act. It is thus clear that the Ordinance as well as the notification have applied the principle contained in Nagpur Improvement Trust (AIR 1973 SC 689) as the Central Government has considered it necessary to extend the benefits available to landowners generally under the 2013 Act to similarly placed landowners whose lands are acquired under the 13 enactments specified in the Fourth Schedule, the National Highways Act being one of the aforesaid enactments. This being the case, it is clear that the Government has itself accepted that the principle of Nagpur Improvement Trust would apply to acquisitions which take place under the National Highways Act, and that solatium and interest would be payable under the 2013 Act to persons whose lands are acquired for the purpose of National Highways as they are similarly placed to those landowners whose lands have been acquired for other public purposes under the 2013 Act. This being the case, it is clear that even the Government is of the view that it is not possible to discriminate between landowners covered by the 2013 Act and landowners covered by the National Highways Act,when it comes to compensation to be paid for lands acquired under either of the enactments. Government itself is of the view that solatium and interest should be granted even in cases that arise between 1997 and 2015. The provisions of the Land Acquisition Act relating to solatium and interest contained in S.23(1A) and (2) and
