Jewar airport: 47 farmers held during protest demanding hiked compensation for land

Forty-seven farmers were arrested on Monday in Greater Noida after they held a protest in Jewar demanding increased compensation for their land acquired for an upcoming airport, officials said.

When the farmers proceeded to lay seige at the Jewar toll plaza, they were arrested as the demonstration could have disrupted traffic movement, the officials said.

The arrest comes at a time when land acquisition is underway for the Greenfield International Airport in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Jewar tehsil. The district administration has acquired more than three-quarters of the land required for the first phase of the airport.

"There was a protest by farmers. 47 farmers have been arrested. They were moving to block the Jewar toll plaza. The farmers were asked not to do so, but they remained adamant on taking the law into their hands," Greater Noida Superintendent of Police Ranvijay Singh told PTI.

While 5,000 hectare land is to be acquired for the entire project, the first phase of the airport would be spread over 1,334 hectare and is expected to be completed by 2023, according to district officials.

So far, the Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has acquired 745-hectare land and transferred its possession to the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA), the officials said.

Jewar airport, second in the National Capital Region after Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport, will be spread over 5,000 hectare and cost around Rs 15,754 crore.

It is touted to have six to eight runways, maximum in India, when fully built, the officials said.