Uneasy calm at Greater Noida's 'ground zero'

Uneasy calm prevailed in the trouble spots of Bhatta Parsaul villages in Greater Noida (Gautam Buddha Nagar district), bordering the national capital, with heavy police deployment to preempt any ugly situation. The issue relates to land acquisition and compensation rates.

The area had witnessed bloody clashes on Saturday between farmers and state police, which claimed at least four lives with scores wounded on both sides. The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that district magistrate Deepak Aggarwal had also sustained a bullet wound.

The state government today disallowed the entry of senior politicians in Greater Noida, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajnath Singh, Leader of Opposition in State Assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav and Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav.

Meanwhile, special Director General of Police (DGP) Brij Lal told Business Standard that the situation was completely normal in Greater Noida.

“There was some trouble on Saturday. However, now the situation is completely normal. I myself was camping there till yesterday,” he added.

The trouble started when senior officials visited the village to ‘rescue’ some UP State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) staff being held hostage by agitating villagers since May 6. The UPSRTC staff had gone for a survey to ascertain new routes.

The farmers had been agitating since January demanding better compensation for their land allegedly being acquired for Yamuna Expressway. However, both the concessionaire, Jaypee Associates, and the government have denied that the land acquisition was related to the expressway.

First conceptualised in 2002, the 165-km Yamuna Expressway from Greater Noida to Agra was estimated to cost Rs 3,000 crore. Now the cost has escalated to Rs 10,000 crore due to delays, including protests over land acquisition.

Political parties have demanded an early debate and passage of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill in Parliament to provide greater safeguards to farmers vis-à-vis private developers.Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav alleged conspiracy orchestrated by UP chief minister Mayawati in the incident.

“Mayawati is playing a ‘dangerous game’ of pitching the farmers and police against each other, while she can continue to rule in UP,” he said addressing the media here.

The party said the government was acquiring the land of farmers and selling the same at high prices to builders, thus acting as a business entity and profiteering at farmers’ cost.

Last year also, similar farmers’ agitations were witnessed in Agra, Mathura and Aligarh over compensation in Yamuna Expressway project. In September 2010, the government had implemented a new policy for land acquisition and rehabilitation.

Yesterday, state cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh had said land acquisition in Bhatta and Parsaul villages was not for any private company or expressway, but for regular development works. Three development authorities work in the district namely Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway Authority.

Singh said 178 hectare land was acquired in Bhatta village between March 2009 and August 2009 and farmers were given total compensation of Rs 120 crore. In Parsaul, 260 hectare land was acquired and Rs 180 crore paid to land owners and there was no unrest among farmers.

He alleged that stray incidents related to Etmadpur in Agra and Mathura-Aligarh borders owing to other causes had been projected by a section of media as related to Bhatta Parsaul land acquisition process, which was untrue.