Land gone and much else, too

The Yamuna Expressway was, they were told, to be the great big leap in their fortunes. But farmers along the expressway who are agitating over the loss of their land point to the reality. Their land is gone, there is little hope of the 165-km Expressway meeting its deadline and they have no alternative income.

“I had 14 bighas of land that has been acquired for the construction of the township. I used to do agriculture on it. Now, I don’t know how I am expected to make ends meet,” says Mahesh Kumar of Chigarpur in Aligarh district.

The region saw four farmers die in police firing last year in August, following protests for higher compensation for their land. Many of the farmers have accepted compensation. But the money is running out fast and alternative employment simply isn’t there.

 

“The government has paid us Rs 436 per sq metre for the land for construction of the expressway and Rs 570 for land around the highway where the township will be developed. But, the prices are much higher in places such as Noida. We must get the same price for our land as farmers in Noida,” said Sundar Singh of the Kisan Union in Chigarpur. Clearly, this is an unworkable proposition.

Unlike last August, Chigarpur is relatively calm. However, armed men of the Provincial Armed Constabulary can be seen around the construction site of the Yamuna Expressway, ensuring the violent protests of Bhatta-Parasaul in Greater Noida don’t travel here.

State violence
In Bhatta-Parasaul, which saw violence resulting in the death of four persons, including two policemen over the weekend, the debate has shifted from the demand for compensation for land to the action the state police took following the firing of a bullet on the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar.

After the removal of the ban on assembly by the administration today, both villages wore an air of nervous calm. However, tension was palpable, with angry villagers demanding that arrested men be released immediately.

In Bhatta, which has a population of around 30,000, there are no male members to be seen.

The females allege the police has taken away every adult male member of the village to ensure the area is violence-free.

“We had seven bighas of land which was acquired and we were paid around Rs 50 lakh for it. We have no dispute with the government. But despite this, the police entered our house, damaged our cars and vandalised our home. Later, the police took my husband with other villagers and I have heard nothing about him since,” says the wife of Subhash Chander Sharma, who works with the Border Security Force.

The police maintain they haven’t violated any rules. “Following the violence on Saturday when the police took action, most of the people ran away and they haven’t returned since,” said Rajnikant Mishra, Inspector General of Police, Meerut range.

Meanwhile, the police is looking for Manveer Singh Tewatia, the man the police believe instigated the farmers. Tewatia, who has aboutn 20 cases against him, has been leading the farmers’ agitation at Bhatta-Parsaul since January 17.