In land compensation stir, a letter to President Droupadi Murmu for 'mass euthanasia' permission

GURUGRAM: Farmers and landowners from Kasan and 13 other villages on Wednesday staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioner's office against the acquisition of 1,810 acres of their land by Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) for the expansion of Manesar industrial area.
The farmers later submitted a memorandum addressed to President Droupadi Murmu, seeking permission for "mass euthanasia" and alleging that the government wanted to take their land for Rs 1,500 crore and sell the same for Rs 80,000 crore.
The protesters have cited market rates to claim the land to be acquired is worth Rs 10 crore per acre, but the state is offering only Rs 91 lakh per acre. On Tuesday, the farmers announced a boycott of politicians from the ruling coalition of BJP and JJP in the villages.
Reena Yadav, a resident of Kasan, said, "Since 1997, the state government has acquired 7,800 acres of land in seven stages in our village and adjoining villages to develop IMT Manesar. Now, the government wants to evict people from the villages where they have been living for years."
She alleged the government had been exploiting them to earn profit. "HSIIDC still has 700 acres of barren land and there is no need for further acquisition."
Roshan Lal, another protesting farmer, said they would not allow the government to take possession of their land. "We will not accept the compensation and not allow anyone to set foot on our land. The only way the government can take our land is by granting us the permission for mass euthanasia."
The protesters have also got support from farmer unions. Ravi Azad, Haryana chief of Bhartiya Kisan Union, said, "The government is looting farmers to help its rich friends."
Ramdan Yadav, whose five-acre land is under acquisition, said, "A year ago, the Indian Railways had acquired around 12 acres of my land and they paid a compensation of Rs 2.30 crore per acre. But for the same land, the state government is paying us Rs 91 lakh, including interest, per acre."
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said, "The government has held multiple rounds of meetings during which some of the issues have been resolved. We are now trying to schedule a meeting of farmers with chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar. We hope the remaining issues will also be resolved soon."