A day after the Noida Authority clinched a deal with the agitating farmers, who agreed to suspend their agitation for three months, the farmers of the villages along the Yamuna Expressway held a ‘panchayat’ in Gautam Buddha Nagar district on Sunday, July 31, and demanded higher compensation for their land. The farmers have threatened to seek legal recourse if their demands were not accepted.
The ‘panchayat’ attended by representatives from about three dozen villages situated along the Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway was held in Atta Naurangpur village. Land for executing the ambitious project of the Mayawati government was acquired in 2008 and the farmers’ agitation was being reportedly backed by the Bharatiya Kisan Union.
The farmers are unhappy that they were given compensation at the rate of Rs.7 lakh a bigha whereas the same land was sold to the private developers by the Government at a higher rate. Track2Realty had reported on July 20 that Expressway land scam is surfacing as a much bigger scandal than Noida Extension. Even as the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) officials are reportedly not ready to agree to higher compensation, there is a possibility of 5 to 7 per cent of the developed land being returned to farmers. While the farmers were not against the construction of the Yamuna Expressway, and considered the Formula-1 racing track (India’s first F-1 race is scheduled there in October) being built by Jaypee Group alongside as a matter of pride for the entire nation, they were angry that the YEIDA authorities are silent.
Farmers of these villages, including some in Greater Noida Authority, are upset that the ‘urgency clause’ had been invoked for acquiring their land.The acquisition was for industrial development but no industries have been set up. Instead it has been handed over for building residential colonies.
The farmers have also been demanding that six per cent of the developed land be returned to them and the “abaadi” (populated ) areas be regularised. Like their counterparts in the Noida villages, the farmers of the Expressway villages have also demanded that committees should be set up for their uplift.
