Dadri farmers want more time to return compensation

The farmers of Dadri in Ghaziabad district, where Anil Ambani-controlled Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) has proposed a gas-based power plant, today urged the Uttar Pradesh government to grant more time for returning the land acquisition compensation paid by the company.

On December 4, 2009, a division bench of Allahabad High Court comprising Justices Ashok Bhusan and Sudhir Agarwal had cancelled the acquisition of 2,500 acres land for the proposed 7,480 Mw power plant and directed the company for fresh acquisition process.

The court said land compensation be returned and gave the farmers 30 days for the purpose.

The farmers, under the aegis of Maharana Sangram Singh Kisan Kalyan Samiti and led by former prime minister V P Singh’s son Ajeya Singh, met Chief Minister Mayawati’s principal secretary Shailesh Krishna with their set of demands.

“We have urged the government to give more time to farmers to return the compensation. Besides, the farmers, who were not given compensation, be returned their land immediately,” Ajeya Singh said addressing a news conference.

He added the government had been urged to withdraw cases against farmers, who were “falsely implicated for the forceful acquisition of their land.”

Observing the acquisition was not done in a proper manner, the HC said a notice be issued by the Ghaziabad district collector inviting objections under Section 5 A of the Land Acquisition Act.“Under Section 5 A, the government has the power to grant relief to farmers in this case,” Singh claimed.

Meanwhile, Samiti general secretary Yudhisthir Singh Shishodia claimed 2,500 acres of land belonging to 1,620 farmers spanning 7 villages was acquired. He said these farmers held 9,800 accounts pertaining to acquisition, since a separate ledger was opened for a stretch of land.

“Over 500 farmers were not paid any compensation and their land acquired forcibly. So far, 1,200 farmers have filed objection pertaining to the acquisition,” he claimed.

The Rs 10,000 crore project was conceived during the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime in 2005. V P Singh and others had filed a writ petition challenging the acquisition. The project was supposed to get gas from Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) controlled by Mukesh Ambani. However, the two groups are embroiled in a controversy over the pricing of gas and the matter is pending before the Supreme Court.