RLD chief meets farmers affected by land acquisition projects

Greater Noida

:

Farmers

affected by the land acquisition process for the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) and Delhi Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation (DFCC) met the Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary at his residence in Delhi on Wednesday.

Under the umbrella of Yuva Adhikar Rozgaar Andolan - an amalgamation of about 10 farmer outfits – a group of 70 farmers led by Kisan Ekta Sangh leader Manish BDC and advocate Indraveer Bhati met Chaudhary and apprised him of their demands and sought support for the farmers sitting on protest at two separate places in Greater Noida.

The farmers say that they have been denied of the benefits under the new land acquisition law and a group has been sitting in protest in Bodaki village for the past 176 days while another group has been on protest in Palla village for the past 16 days.

Talking to TOI, Manish BDC, national treasurer of Kisan Ekta Sangh said that the RLD chief assured the party’s support to the farmers.

"The meeting went on for over an hour. We met Chaudhary and informed him that the farmers who have been affected by the land acquisition for the DFCC and DMIC projects have been denied of the benefits under the new land acquisition law. Our land is gone and our youngsters do not have employment. We also demanded that the abadi land of the affected farmers be left untouched," he said.

The group also demanded employment for the farm labourers who are dependent on farm lands for their livelihood.

"There are different kinds of farm labourers who are dependent on farming for their livelihood. With our land gone, many of them too have lost their livelihood. We demand that they too should get benefits," he said.

Farmers stop gangajal pipeline work

Hundreds of farmers sitting on protest in Palla village have demanded that the Greater Noida Authority (GNIDA) officials meet them and resolve their issues.

"The Greater Noida Authority is not listening to us. So, we had no choice but to stop the work of the gangajal pipeline. We have stopped the work for the past one week and it will remain stopped till our meeting is held with the DM and the GNIDA CEO," Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan Morcha leader Sunil Fouji told TOI.

While about 1700 families have been affected by the land acquisition process in Palla, Chithera, Pali, Kathaira villages, farmers are demanding that the 4000 families from whom land has been directly purchased should also be considered as the beneficiaries and extended the benefit of the acquisition as per the land law.

Fouji said that a meeting with the DM followed by the GNIDA CEO is likely to take place on Friday after which a call will be taken on the future course of their protest.