178 VILLAGES RESOLVE NOT TO GIVE LAND FOR KATRA-DELHI EXPRESSWAY

PATIALA: Opening another front in their agitation against the Central farm laws, 178 villages of Patiala, Sangrur, Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Gurdaspur districts have passed resolutions not to allow the Centre to acquire their land for the KatraDelhi Expressway, also known as NE-05. Farmers in these villages said they would not give their land till the new laws were revoked. Farmers have also formed state and district level committees for this cause.

Around 300-km stretch of the Katra-Delhi expressway falls in Punjab and the Union ministry of road transport and highways has to acquire 10,083 acre (4,080 hectare) land for this purpose.

Harmanjeet Singh Jeji, president, Kissan Sangharsh Committee for Delhi-Katra expressway in Sangrur district, said, “My eight acre at Dialgarh Jejian falls in the way of this Expressway. The Centre is not allowing us to enter the capital through roads and highways. If we are not allowed to travel on these roads, so why would we give our land to centre? If farmers unions direct us to give our land to the centre free of cost, we will comply.”

Sukhdev Dhillon, president of state unit of the committee, said, “Fifty villages of Sangrur district, 43 of Jalandhar, 36 of Gurdaspur, 21 of Ludhiana, 15 of Kapurthala and 11 villages of Patiala district have passed a resolution of not giving land.” Patiala deputy commissioner Kumar Amit said, “It is a central government project. We will act as per the Centre’s directions.”

300-KM STRETCH OF EXPRESSWAY FALLS IN STATE FOR WHICH CENTRE IS TO ACQUIRE 4,080 HECTARE LAND