New Delhi: The two-month-long farmers' protest in Greater Noida, which ended on June 25, drew inspiration from the farmers' protest against the Centre's now-repealed agriculture laws and saw people from 49 villages come together, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) activists said on Monday.
The farmers had been protesting to demand higher compensation for their lands acquired by the Greater Noida authority and better rehabilitation facilities. "On January 16, we went to the Greater Noida authority's office to raise certain issues. The entry of farmers inside the authority office was restricted and we protested against that. We tried to talk to the authority officials but they were not ready to listen," said AIKS leader Rupesh Verma.
The protests started on February 7 and were also held on March 14 and March 23. The farmers sat on a dharna in front of the authority office on April 25. The farmers' key demands included higher compensation for their lands, jobs for one member of every displaced family, health and education-related facilities, and land for landless labourers, among other things.
On Sunday, the protesting farmers reached an agreement with the authority. The authority agreed to form a high-powered committee by June 30 to discuss the farmers' demands. The committee will be chaired by Uttar Pradesh's Industrial Development minister and its members will include authority chairman and CEO, chief secretary (Industrial), Rajya Sabha MP Surendra Nagar, Lok Sabha MP Mahesh Sharma, Dadri MLA Tejpal Singh, Jewar MLA Thakur Dheerendra Singh and farmers' representatives.
AIKS general secretary Vijoo Krishnan termed it a "historic victory" for farmers. "This protest saw active participation of women in the dharna as well as in meetings. Farmers and landless labourers came together and issues of landless labourers were also taken up. Above all, people from all the villages came together and kept a second line of defence ready," he said.
On June 6, police cracked down on the protesters and picked up 33 people from the demonstration site. A few hours later, hundreds of farmers led by women reached the protest site to continue the agitation. Former MP Hannan Mollah said the protest drew inspiration from the farmers' protest that went on for a year at Delhi borders. The protesters also ensured their agitation was peaceful, he said. "As part of the farmers' protest, 500 organisations came together. Here as well, there was unity and locals came together," he said.
Mollah said a bigger agitation on land issues is also being planned. AIKS leaders said they will give the government time till July 15 to act on their demands and resume their agitation if no progress is made. "The land in Greater Noida is still being acquired under the old, colonial law that does not have provisions for proper compensation or resettlement," Verma said.
Land was acquired in India under the Land Acquisition Act 1894 till The Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 was passed. Under the old law, compensation was calculated on the basis of the market value. Under the new law, the compensation should be four times the market value in rural areas and double the market value in urban areas. (PTI)
