New panel formed to resolve farmers’ land leaseback issues

This committee will formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) that will be applicable to farmers under all three authorities to address their abadi or ‘leaseback’ disputes, said officials

The Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway industrial development authorities have formed a new committee to address farmers’ ]issues related to abadi (residential) land disputes.

The decision was taken in line with assurances given to farmers last month to persuade them to end their months long agitation against authorities. (HT Archive)

The decision was taken in line with assurances given to farmers last month to persuade them to end their months long agitation against authorities.

On March 12, during Yamuna Expressway Industrial Authority (Yeida) board meeting, in which senior officials of the Noida and the Greater Noida authorities were also present, it was decided that a committee headed by Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer, Yeida, will be formed with Noida \and the Greater Noida additional CEOs as members to resolve abadi land issues.

“This committee will formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) that will be applicable for farmers under all three authorities to address their abadi or ‘leaseback’ disputes,” said an official, asking not to be named.

The committee may take at least two months to finalise the SOPs, said the official.

“We will try to formulate the SOPs as per the board meeting decision as soon as possible,” said Arun Vir Singh, chief executive officer of the Yeida heading the committee.

Due to the lengthy process, administrative officials are often accused by farmers of delaying approval under one pretext or the other. So the new SOPs will benefit hundreds of farmers, who frequently stage protests on this matter, said officials. The SOP will facilitate the return of abadi lands acquired by the authority for industrial development, said officials.

There are at least 2,300 cases of leaseback in Greater Noida and 368 cases are in Yamuna Expressway area. Such cases are few in Noida and the Noida authority is compiling a list of farmers eligible for leaseback.

“We have been hearing since the last five years that the authorities will address leaseback issues. But nothing happened. Let us see what the new committee does,” said Prempal Singh, a farmer from Nagli Wazidpur village.