Traffic stops on Noida expressway as farmers protest

GREATER NOIDA: Traffic on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway was hit for an hour and a half after a group of farmers gheraoed Dadri MLA Tejpal Singh Nagar, who was headed for Jewar, where chief minister Yogi Adityanath was reviewing arrangements for the Noida airport project’s launch on Thursday.
Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Sangathan, the farmers sought to know what Nagar had done for them in the past five years. They also demanded a 40% job quota for youngsters in local companies.
It was around 2.30pm that the group of farmers in their cars stopped Nagar near zero point. The posse of policemen accompanying the Dadri MLA stopped the farmers from moving towards Jewar and asked them to speak to him at zero point itself. As the farmers questioned the MLA on their demands, the line of vehicles kept growing longer.
The leader of the outfit, Sukhbir Khalifa, said they were on the expressway only to question Nagar. Some, however, claimed they planned to go to Jewar and gherao the chief minister as well.
On Monday, members of the same outfit had flocked to the residence of Noida MLA Pankaj Singh and started a protest. The farmers have also been demanding that abadi land be increased from the current 450 sqm.
“We wanted to protest outside the Dadri MLA’s house, but came to know that he would be leaving for Jewar. The cops accompanying the MLA stopped us at zero point and told us to speak to him there itself. We told him that it had been 5 years since he had visited us last. He keeps saying he attends all functions and weddings. He assured us he would accompany us when we meet minister Satish Makhana. In the end, he agreed that all our demands are genuine,” Khalifa said.
The farmers said they had been protesting over their issues for the past 90 days, but to no avail. “They are our local representatives. Why are they not presenting our demands before the chief minister?” Khalifa asked.
The MLA, however, claimed he visited them regularly. “I will present their demands before the chief minister. I have spoken to the Greater Noida Authority to ensure that local companies employ 40% youngsters from the villages. The land leaseback in Greater Noida villages, which was pending for so long, has now been approved by the government,” he said.
As the farmers protested, it was the commuters who bore the brunt. Frustrated with the wait, a woman came out of her car and shouted at the protesters to vacate the area as she needed to go to Tappal, where her mother had died. “I am also a farmer’s daughter. I have to travel home because my mother has died,” she said.
After heated arguments, the farmers decide to leave around 4pm. After a few minutes, traffic resumed on the expressway.