GB Nagar district admin warns against fraudsters selling plots near Jewar airport

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration on Friday issued a notice, warning people against fraudsters trying to sell small land parcels near the upcoming airport in Jewar, assuring that these plot buyers will get jobs and plots as compensation when the land is acquired

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration on Friday issued a notice, warning people against fraudsters trying to sell small land parcels near the upcoming airport in Jewar, assuring that these plot buyers will get jobs and plots as compensation when the land is acquired.

GB Nagar district admin warns against fraudsters selling plots near Jewar airport

Officials said that they have come to know of several cases where small plots measuring 10 to 50 square metres (sqm) are being sold in six villages where land acquisition is about to take place for the second phase of the Noida International Airport.

Officials further informed that some real estate agents were fraudulently selling these small plots on the pretext that once it is acquired, the owners will be given an additional ₹5.5 lakh or a job and plot for rehabilitation.

“Till February, we had come to know of 908 such agreements between parties wherein very small plots of land were being sold with the lure of government jobs and free plots as bait. This is illegal. When we are supposed to pay ₹5.5 lakh to one farmer, we will now end up paying the same amount to multiple buyers. Also, to subdivide and sell property, the plan has to be approved by the Yamuna authority under the Industrial Development Act,” said Balram Singh, additional deputy magistrate (land acquisition).

The district administration has now issued a notice to stay away from such agents and is investigating the issue, Singh added. Officials said that since February, such cases have increased manifold. The administration is in the process of conducting a survey to identify all such cases, sources said.

“We will be taking strict legal action against such anti-social elements who are trying to make these fraudulent deals to benefit outsiders who are not from the affected villages. The Land Acquisition Act, 2013, specifies that the benefits of the rehabilitation and resettlement will only be given to the land owners and families who are being displaced or whose livelihoods are being affected. Those who are illegally selling or buying property will not get these benefits,” ADM Singh said.

The district administration has also asked people to inform them about any such sellers at the ADM’s office or through the email id admlagnoida@gmail.com. Officials said that prima facie, the buyers also appear to be small-time investors or people from the lower economic strata looking at getting a government job in future or monetary benefits of around ₹5lakh.

Around 1,185 hectares of land will be acquired in six villages, namely Ranhera, Kureb, Dayanatpur, Karauli Bangar, Mudrah and Birampur for the upcoming in Jewar. According to the Land Acquisition Act, section 4 has been implemented, under which the administration has already issued a public notice regarding the area that will be acquired in all these villages for the airport. The administration can now begin its surveys and mapping to calculate the number of affected people and families and the compensation amount that will need to be disbursed.

A total of 1,365 hectares is required for the second phase, of which the Yamuna authority has directly acquired 56 hectares, while 124 hectares is public land. The remaining 1,185 hectares has to be acquired from the farmers.

For the first phase of the airport, 1,334 hectares of land was acquired, which included 1,239 hectares from farmers and 95 hectares of public land. A total of ₹3,066.8 crore was disbursed as compensation at the rate of ₹2,300 per square metre. Additionally, 3,627 families were rehabilitated and given plots in a township being developed in Jewar Bangar village, sources said.

To ensure a smooth process of land acquisition for the airport, the state government offered additional benefits to farmers for the first phase of land acquisition in Jewar in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act. The government provided compensation against assets such as trees, borewells and permanent construction on the land being acquired. Every youth over 18 years of age in the affected families was assured either a job at the Noida International Airport Limited (NIAL) or a one-time grant of ₹5.5 lakh or ₹2,000 every month for 20 years.

The second phase of the airport will include the third runway and a maintenance repair overhauling (MRO) centre, sources added.