Shahberi farmers get back their land

Residents of Chak Shahberi, a nondescript hamlet near Noida, celebrated with cold drinks and home-made snacks after the high court order on Thursday that set aside the acquisition of over 150 hectares of land. Darpan Singh reports.

Residents of Chak Shahberi, a nondescript hamlet near Noida, celebrated with cold drinks and home-made snacks after the high court order on Thursday that set aside the acquisition of over 150 hectares of land. They have got back their land, acquired by the local development authority and allotted to private builders for group housing projects. This was done without the farmers’ consent.

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In the village, workers deserted construction sites. Real estate agents were not seen in their booths. Though Shahberi is a small part in the Noida Extension area, a major real estate hub, those associated with the trade looked uneasy as several other villages have moved court against forcible acquisition.

A division Bench of Allahabad High Court, while allowing a bunch of writ petitions filed by residents of the Muslim-dominated village, said the action of acquiring the land was a “colourable exercise of powers” and ordered return of the land to their owners.

Naushad Ali, a villager, said, “Objections were not heard. This is done only in case of projects for public good. We were told the land was being acquired for industrial development. But allotment was made to private builders. We will not sell our plots.”