Farmers promise not to protest against e-way

Rashtriya Kisan Union (RKU), an umbrella body of farmers which has been protesting against the Yamuna Expressway, has promised not to disrupt the opening ceremony of the toll road on Thursday.

Rashtriya Kisan Union (RKU), an umbrella body of farmers which has been protesting against the Yamuna Expressway, has promised not to disrupt the opening ceremony of the toll road on Thursday.

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The union had earlier threatened it would not allow the ceremony to take place till farmers' demands for higher compensation and construction of service lanes from Greater Noida to Agra are not met.

On Wednesday, farmers under the banner of RKU held a protest at Jewar and demanded a toll-free ride for themselves on the Expressway.

"We held a token protest today. As senior administration officers have assured that our demands will be considered on priority, we have decided not to disrupt the opening," said Virendra Dhada, RKU convenor.

"We are not against development. We know the expressway will open opportunities for farmers as well. But our main concern is that farmers' problems should be redressed soon," he said.

"Yamuna Expressway authority official Harish Verma assured us that he will talk to the developer and arrange some toll-free arrangement for farmers whose land was acquired for the project," Dhada said.