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Land acquisition: Compensation low, says Tikait; warns of agitation
Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has said that farmers had complained about irregularities in compensation for their acquired land. He said that the angry farmers would not allow construction of the Delhi- Dehradun Greenfield Economic Corridor until their demand for increased compensation was met.
MEERUT Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait has said that farmers would not allow construction of the Delhi- Dehradun Greenfield Economic Corridor if their demand for adequate compensation for their acquired land was not fulfilled.
Farmers whose land have been acquired for the corridor staged dharna and protest at Butrada village in Shamli district to push for their demand for adequate compensation.
On Wednesday, the farmers had organised a Mahapanchayat to raise the issue and Rakesh Tikait participated in it. Addressing the Mahapanchayat, Tikait said that farmers had complained about irregularities in compensation for their acquired land. He said that the angry farmers would not allow construction until their demand for increased compensation was met. They would continue their movement, he said.
He also called upon farmers to be ready for a further agitation and advised them to prepare their next generation to participate in movements and apprise them about the significance and importance of agitations.
Tikait reiterated that farmers needed to fight with this government on different issues. He said that the government was planning to amend the existing seed and electricity laws and also to allow foreign companies to sell milk at much lower price. This would adversely affect herdsmen in villages who depended on income from milk.
Tikait said that the government was privatizing banks and these private banks will withdraw facility of ‘ Kisan credit cards’ and under debt burden, farmers would have no option but to pledge their land to corporates.
He called upon farmers to be united and undertake peaceful protest to get their demands fulfilled.
The construction of the first phase of Delhi- Dehradun Greenfield Corridor was started in March 2021. Under this project, a 17-km-long 6-lane elevated road will be constructed to connect Eastern Peripheral Expressway and UP-Delhi border and thereafter an expressway will be constructed between Greenfield Corridor and Dehradun.
Seven interchanges will be constructed at different locations to connect Haridwar, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli, Yamunanagar, Meerut, Baghpat and Baraut with the expressway.
Authorities have acquired 1100 hectares of land of 27 villages in Baghpat, 7 villages in Muzaffarnagar, 22 villages in Shamli and 25 villages in Saharanpur for construction of the expressway. As much as 350 hectares out of 1100 hectares has been acquired in Baghpat where farmers are protesting over getting low compensation.
