Farmers denied enhanced land compensation
Denying the demands made by farmers currently protesting for increased land compensation, the NTPC Dadri on Thursday said there is no possibility of it considering the prospect of enhancing equal land compensation or providing employment to farmer families.
Over the past few weeks, farmers from 24 villages near the NTPC Dadri project site have been sitting on a protest outside the plant and also in Rasulpur village, demanding enhanced compensation for their land acquired by the thermal power corporation in the early 1970s. According to representatives of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad (BKP), the farmer group spearheading the protest, at least 600 protesters from 24 villages in Dadri are taking part in the agitation.
On Wednesday, a meeting was held between farmer representatives and the NTPC management, in the presence of deputy commissioner of police
(Greater Noida) Abhishek Verma and officials of the district administration seeking to resolve the issue.
Praveen Chauhan, a BKP member, said, “Our fight for rights include extra compensation, employment and facilities related to education and healthcare for farmer families. While acquiring land for its plant, NTPC had promised farmers in writing that they would ensure education for the poor and build
hospitals and playgrounds. They also promised to provide free electricity to all villages within a 10km radius of the plant. But none of these promises was kept.” Chauhan said.
NTPC Dadri said in a statement, “The organisation is continuing to work for the betterment of villages. Playgrounds are being developed in villages such as Uncha Amirpur and Akilpur under the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative and the first instalment of funds has been released to the rural engineering department.”
It further said, “During the meeting, the farmers were also informed that by giving priority to health and education under CSR, works for the development of the villages have been done earlier, are being done at present and will be done in the future. Under its CSR, NTPC has been organising medical camps with the aim of providing medical facilities to the nearby villagers,” the statement read.
Mahendra Yadav, another BKP member, said, “We will continue with the sit-in protest until the NTPC keeps its promises,” he said.
Yadav said another demand that the protesters had was the removal of sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 308 (attempt to culpable homicide) from the FIR registered against arrested agitators.
On November 1, 12 people were arrested by the police, including BKP member Sukhbir Khalifa (Pehelwan). An FIR was registered at Jarcha police station against 53 identified and nearly 500 unidentified suspects under IPC sections of rioting, causing obstruction to a public officer and inciting violence, along with relevant sections of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013.
“If our demands are not met, we would lay siege to the commissionate office in Sector 108,” said Yadav.
“Police have been unjust with us. They have arrested our leader Khalifa along with other farmers and wrongly implicated them in false cases. We have asked the police and administration to drop 307 and 308 charges against them and release them at the earliest,” Chauhan said.
When contacted, police commissioner Alok Singh said the sections will be decided by the district courts.
“During the meeting, the main demands put forward by farmers related to NTPC and CSR related activities. As far as the law is concerned , the matter is sub judice and the courts will the sections,” said Singh.