UP land rehabilitation policy best in India: claims minister

Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Laxmi Narain today claimed the state’s new rehabilitation policy for land acquisition was "the best" in India. Addressing farmers, the Minister claimed he has studied the land acquisition policies of all states and the new rehabilitation policy in UP was formulated by a committee after scanning and evaluating other states’ policies. He said that under the new policy farmers will get one time payment of Rs.1.85 lakh towards five-year labour charges. Another Rs.20,000 per acre will be given for next 33 years, Narain said. If a farmer wants one-time lump sum payment, then he will get Rs.2.40 lakh per acre. Beside this, they will get 7 percent of the developed land which will have mixed land use. He can utilize it for commercial use too, he added. He said if farmers feel there was a better policy in other states they can bring a copy of the same. He accused the Centre of delaying the amendment in the land acquisition Act. "Had they been sensitive to farmers problems, the amendment Act could have been cleared by the Lok Sabha long ago", Narain added. However Bhatta Parsaul farmers, who have been agitating since January 17, said the state government was threatening the farmers not to take part in dharna. Agitating farmers say they will not accept anything less than their demands including 80 percent of residential sector rate as land compensation rate and only 50 percent land acquisition and rest to be left with farmer for agriculture use. The dharna was continuing at the site. The farmers said they are now planning rail and road blockades. District Magisterate Deepak Aggarwal asked the farmers to shun the path of agitation and come to the discussion table and warned "violence will not be tolerated". PTI