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A journey fraught with clashes
The journey of the Yamuna Expressway took more than a decade and Rs. 12,839 crore to reach the finish line.
The journey of the Yamuna Expressway took more than a decade and Rs. 12,839 crore to reach the finish line.
The state government had acquired land in 1,182 villages of six districts from Greater Noida to Agra for the purpose.
But an even bigger price was paid to facilitate the project.
While three farmers and a policeman were killed at Tappal in Aligarh in 2010, two farmers and as many policemen lost their lives at Bhatta-Parsaul in Greater Noida in 2011.
These clashes took place when farmers protested against land acquisition — and quantum of cash compensation — for the expressway during the previous Mayawati regime.
Earlier, 6 farmers were killed in a police firing when they protested against land acquisition — though their land had been acquired for purposes other than the Expressway — at Ghodi Bachheda village in Greater Noida bordering the Yamuna Expressway area in 2008.
These stirs caused extensive damage to livestock and property.
Worse still, they plunged the region into a crisis for months that followed. These agitations assumed political overtones because of the involvement of several leaders, including Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi, in the run-up to the last assembly elections.
The Bhatta-Parsaul agitation began on January 17 last year, which turned into a full-blown confrontation with the local administration in the coming months.
As many as 23 cases had been lodged with three police stations against 75 named and 1,000 unknown farmers for rioting, kidnapping, attempt to murder, murder, holding officers under illegal detention, provoking innocent farmers for violence and firing at the police.
In police records, 16 farmers are still on the run. Nine farmers, including leader Manvir Singh Tevatia who headed the agitation, are still in jail.
Farmers of several villages along the expressway have moved the Allahabad high court against land acquisition. The court is yet to start hearing of the cases.
Farmers have recently relented after the new state government promised cases against farmers of both Bhatta-Parsaul and Tappal would be withdrawn.
