Unfair compensation worries farmers

Noida (UP): An unfulfilled promise, inadequate compensation and a fear of losing their identity are key reasons why some farmers in Jewar are resisting the Uttar Pradesh government’s bid to acquire their land for a proposed international airport.

The farmers are also peeved about the categorisation of their region as “urban”. This classification makes them eligible for a compensation of two times the circle rate, inste-ad of four times which is applicable on agricultural land under the Land Acq-uisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. Several farmers in five villages — Rohi, Parohi, Dayanatpur, Kish-orpur and Ranhera — are ready for the acquisition as per the administration’s offer of Rs 2,300-Rs 2,500 per sq metre, while some others are demanding Rs 3,600 per sq metre, four times the circle rate.

An international airport has been proposed in Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar for which around 5,000 hectare of land is to be acquired. The reported cost of the airport, scheduled to begin operations by 2022-23, would be Rs 15,000-20,000 crore. The government, in the first phase, wants to acquire over 1,300 hectare from the five villages, affecting 2,250 families.

Murlidhar Sharma, 69, from Ranhera village claimed he is yet to receive a plot as was ass-ured by the administration in addition to the mo-netary compensation for his land that was acquired for the Yamuna Express-way. “I have seen all governments. Now what should I say... I had land along what now is the Yamuna Expre-ssway. I was promised a plot seven per cent the size of my acquired land — which I have not got till date,” he claimed.

“Over 8,700 sq metre of my land was acquired, some officials initially gave me some documents along with registry papers. They came back after acquisition and took away that paper as well,” Sharma added. He claimed there are several others like him waiting for that compensatory plot which was supposed to be in a Yamuna Authority-developed area of the district.

Ravi Sharma, 61, claimed the government had promised to build service lanes along both sides of the expressway but that has not been done.

No farmer is opposed to development or the airport but they are concerned about the disparity in the rate of compensation for land, he said. “For the construction of the Peripheral Highway three years ago, the government doled out compensation at a rate of Rs 3,600 per sq metre.  So there should be a uniform rate of compensation within a district,” he said.