Farmers continue their protest outside Noida authority office

The protest began on December 18 outside the Noida authority for 64.7% hiked land compensation, job reservation among other demands

A day after the Noida farmers turned back from the Delhi-Noida border after abandoning their plans to march to Parliament House in Delhi, farmer leaders said on Friday they will continue their protest outside the Noida authority’s Sector 6 administrative building.

Farmers of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) continued their protest outside the Noida authority office in Sector 6 on Friday. (Sunil Ghosh/HTPhoto)

The police had stopped the farmers at Dalit Prerna Sthal on Delhi-Noida Link Road on Thursday and thwarted their plans to stage a protest outside the Parliament demanding hiked land compensation and better rehabilitation facilities against their land acquired for the development of Noida and other projects in the region.

Farmers ended their agitation at Dalit Prerna Sthal on Thursday after Gautam Budh Nagar district magistrate Maneesh Verma and police commissioner Laxmi Singh assured them that a committee will be formed to look into their demands.

Verma and Singh also met with farmers at the Sector 108 police headquarters on Thursday night to discuss their the demands and the way forward.

“The officials assured us that a committee of senior officials will be formed after February 10, when the Uttar Pradesh assembly session will end. After their assurance, we cancelled our plan to go to Parliament. But our agitation outside the Noida authority office will continue till the government accepts our demands,” said Sukhbir Yadav, who is leading the protest under the banner of Bharatriya Kisan Ekta Sangh.

Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh on Friday raised the issues of farmers in the UP assembly and demanded that a committee be formed to address the prevailing issues.

“We want a high-level committee consisting of ministers, MLAs and senior officials to discuss the issues of the farmers so that the protest can be ended. The farmers have given their land for the development of Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway areas. Therefore, they have a right for better compensation and rehabilitation facilities,” he said.