Give up land for freight corridor or face action: Gautam Budh Nagar administration

GREATER NOIDA: The Gautam Budh Nagar administration is gearing up to initiate action against a group of 10 villagers in Chamrawali Bodaki who are not giving up their agricultural land for the dedicated freight corridor project. On Monday, a final notice was issued to these farmers, who were given time till Wednesday to give up their land or face action.
About 2,700 sqmt of farmland is yet to be handed over and is delaying the process of laying down tracks on the stretch. The land has been already transferred in the name of the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, the enterprise of the Union railways ministry set up for executing the project.
Alok Kumar Gupta, the sub-divisional magistrate of Dadri, said, “We have served notices on the 10 landowners. They are not giving up their claim on the agricultural land that is coming under the alignment of the project. It is required for laying the tracks and their action is delaying one of the most ambitious projects of the central government. We have issued warnings to them on multiple occasions and will initiate legal action after Wednesday.”
For the project, the corporation needed land in Chithehra, Kathehra, Bodaki, Palla and Pali villages of Dadri. Officials said 12.6 hectares were required in Bodaki, of which only about 0.3 hectare is yet to be handed over to the corporation. The land is required for the eastern leg of the corridor and lies under the Dadri-Khurja section. The villagers, Gupta said, have been offered compensation at the rate of Rs 2,600 per sqmt. However, they have been demanding more. “That is the amount other farmers have also got. Those who were give more money owned abadi (residential) land. We will pull down the structures on their agricultural land and take it in our possession if they do not agree to hand it over,” Gupta added.