Villagers of area surrounding the Yamuna Expressway held a mahapanchayat on Sunday to discuss the issue of compensation. The villagers have been paid Rs 800/sqm for the land acquired in 2008 by Yamuna Expressway Authority. They claim the money paid is Rs 50/sqm less than the approved circle rates of the time.
The villagers who feel “cheated” and 31 villages, of the 62 that attended the panchayat, have decided to move court.
The mahapanchayat was held at Atta Gujraan Village near Jaypee F1 race track.
“When villagers in Bhatta-Parsaul and other areas can get back their land, we also have a new hope. Each plot is being sold at enormous rates to buyers, while the villagers who have toiled for generations are becoming poorer,” said Balraj, an organiser of the mahapanchayat.
The villagers are expected to appeal in court on Thursday.
“We were paid around Rs 7.45 lakh per bigha, while the builders are charging 10 times the money for the flats. Even though it is our land, the compensation is not even enough to enable us to afford a flat in any of the housing schemes,” said Anit Kasna, a leader of Bharatiya Kisan Union.
Mahender Singh, from Jaganpura village, sold 40 bighas of land in 2008. His sister’s family sold another 80 bighas, leaving them nearly landless. “We were told that the land will be used for development that will benefit the villagers, but so far we haven’t witnessed any major change in this area,” Singh said.
The Yamuna Expressway Industrial Authority had acquired 6,000 acre land for the project. Though the farmers had been agitating for better compensation earlier, the movement has gained pace after the Allahabad High Court verdict on Noida Extension acquisition.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday demanded a special investigation team probe all such allottments.