Meet our demands to get land for Noida airport phase II: Farmers

NOIDA: Residents of six villages in Jewar, where land is supposed to be acquired for the second phase of the Noida airport, have refused to part with their plots until the administration revises its compensation policy.
Unlike in the first phase of acquisition, the villagers are now demanding enhanced compensation, apart from space to continue with their businesses and other rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) benefits.
On May 29, the villagers held a panchayat in Ranhera and threatened to go on a hunger strike if their demands were not met. A team of officials from the Noida administration, led by district magistrate Suhas LY, met the villagers on Saturday and asked them to give their consent for the land acquisition. According to rules, the consent of 70% of the landowners is needed to start the acquisition process.
For the second phase of the airport, 1,185 hectares of private land will have to be acquired in Karauli Bangar, Dayanatpur, Kureb, Ranhera, Mundrah and Birampur villages. A total of 124 hectares of government land is also available.
The villagers alleged they were being coerced to give their land. Every farmer’s consent is to be recorded, but that is not being done, they alleged.
KP Singh, a resident of Ranhera – the largest among the six villages – said, “We have decided to oppose the administration’s acquisition process. No doubt, some people have given their consents. But they are not residents of the village. They live elsewhere and are only concerned about the compensation money. Besides, land sharks have also bought plots from farmers at cheap rates and are getting a higher compensation from the administration. The district administration is creating confusion about the number of people giving consent. ”
The villagers said they had written to the chief minister and senior officials about their demands. Among their demands, the villagers have asked for an enhanced compensation and not the Rs 2,300 per sqm that was fixed in 2018. They have also insisted that the size of the compensatory land should be equal to the existing one, apart from the cost of the house. In the first phase of the acquisition, the administration had given land that was 50% of the size of original plots.
Moreover, the villagers have also asked for space to continue their livelihoods. In the first phase, the administration had provided Rs 5. 5 lakh as settlement allowance, but no space for running businesses. Now, about 5,000 people who gave their land are jobless, said Singh, a retired engineer himself.