Plot leaseback: Farmers threaten indefinite protest if demands are not met

Farmers in Greater Noida have demanded that the authority should restart leaseback of their residential plots as they had given their land for the development of the city

Farmers in Greater Noida have demanded that the authority should restart leaseback of their residential plots as they had given their land for the development of the city. The authority has stopped the leaseback of plots in 2017 after some irregularities surfaced in the process, officials said.

Farmers said if their demands are not met, they will start awareness campaigns in every village and later an indefinite protest outside the authority’s office. (HT Photo)

The farmers plan to intensify their agitation if their demands are not met. The farmers from 39 villages on Tuesday staged a protest against the Greater Noida authority outside its main administrative building in Sector Knowledge Park-4. They ended their protest after the Greater Noida authority chief executive officer Ritu Maheshwari assured them that their grievances would be addressed.

“We have given them time till next week to provide us the minutes of the meeting held following our protest on January 7. If their efforts are genuine to address our demands of leaseback and other rehabilitation packages, then we will not start our campaign. But if they are fooling us, then we will start an indefinite campaign with a series of protests in Greater Noida,” said Vikas Bhati, leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ambawata group).

Bhati said if satisfactory steps are not taken now, then they will start their protest by February-end and continue till their issues are resolved.

The authority developed the well-planned city of Greater Noida on land given up by farmers since 1976. The authority had acquired both agricultural land and village abadi (residential land) to build the city. Farmers have been protesting the acquisition, saying the residential land was meant for their families.

Heeding the protests, the authority assured farmers that their abadi land will be given back to them for residential use via a ‘leaseback’ process. Also, the authority was to give back 6% of total acquired land for residential use to farmers.

Farmers alleged that the authority, in the past 30 years, is yet to resolve at least 1,451 leaseback cases and address residential plot issues of around 6,000 farmers in Greater Noida.

“Greater Noida is now almost completely developed -- there is hardly any land left for allotment either for industry, group housing or commercial development. In the time to come, land paucity will be an even bigger issue for the authority. It still has got small land parcels near villages. Therefore, we want that the authority resolve our issues without any delay; else they will have to face a series of protests,” said Praveen Bharatiya, a farmer leader.

Farmers said if the minutes of the meeting will not contain satisfactory timebound solutions to our issues then they will start an awareness campaign in each village and later start an indefinite protest outside the authority office.

“We are looking into the issues of farmers and have also informed the state government about the issues. Their demands will be addressed as per the law,” said Maheshwari.