Talks fail as Patwari seeks hike in cash compensation

Desperate to solve the Noida Extension crisis, top officials today held a meeting with farmers of Patwari village, but talks failed on the issue of increased compensation

Desperate to solve the Noida Extension crisis, top officials on Sunday held a meeting with farmers of Patwari village, but talks failed on the issue of increased compensation.

HT Image

Farmers demanded they be given Rs 5,000 per sqm. Officials said it was not possible to effect any hike in the compensation already paid.

Greater Noida CEO Rama Raman said, "We are hopeful. An agreement has been reached on three major points - allotment of developed plots, solving of abadi disputes and lease back of wrongly acquired land. I have asked the village head to form a committee of farmers to discuss the compensation issue."

But if a compensation hike is not on cards, what will he discuss with farmers? "We want to reacquire the land and pay the farmers under the new acquisition and rehabilitation policy. It allows us to give farmers bigger developed plots, Rs 200 more per sqm as compensation, besides annuity payouts."

The CEO, along with senior officials, reached the village in the evening. Patwari village head Reshpal Singh raised the abadi land and developed plot issues. The CEO agreed to the demands on the spot.

Farmer leader Inder Nagar demanded jobs for local youths in the units to be set up in the city. The CEO agreed to this demand too. Pradeep Yadav, another resident, sought schools and colleges for the village students. The CEO gave his consent to this too and announced plans for village development.

But the talks failed when farmer leader Dushyant Nagar said farmers be paid Rs 10,000 per sqm. The CEO said farmers must make "reasonable" demands, which could be forwarded to the state government for approval.

"Farmers want development. They want negotiations. They will even accept half of the price (Rs 5,000) at which the authority has sold the land to builders," said Nagar.

A day after the Allahabad high court gave time till August 12 to the state government and agitating farmers in Noida Extension to work out an out-of-court settlement, the Greater Noida Authority CEO on July 27 shot off a letter to Reshpal Singh, head of Patwari village, requesting him to come to the negotiation table and work out a formula.

Nearly 20,000 homebuyers, who had invested in 11 real estate projects in Patwari, are left in the lurch because of a July 19 high court order, quashing the acquisition of about 600 hectares of land in the village. A larger bench of the court will hear all related matters on August 17.