The landmark order could set off a barrage of similar petitions by farmers asking for a return of their lands acquired forcibly under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.
The Allahabad high court on Monday set aside the acquisition of 170 hectares of land in Gulistanpur village of Greater Noida and ordered that the land be returned to the farmers. The landmark order could set off a barrage of similar petitions by farmers asking for a return of their lands acquired forcibly under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.
Already, in two other orders earlier this month, the high court had ordered denotification of 156 hectares in Shahberi village and 72 hectares in Surajpur village of Greater Noida.
Sources say top authorities are gearing up to tackle a wave of agitations by farmers opposing forcible acquisition of agricultural land. The Mayawati government has acquired hundreds of hectares, mostly large swathes of agricultural land in western UP, since it took charge in 2007.
The state authorities are wary after the violent episodes in Bhatta Parsaul village of Greater Noida where four people were killed in firing between police and agitating farmers on May 7. The Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway Authority have already decided to hike compensation rates by 12.5% in a bid to assuage simmering dissatisfaction among the farmers.
The Mayawati government, too, can ill afford the farmers’ wrath at a time when elections are due in Uttar Pradesh in a year.
Even before the dust could have settled on the farmers’ discontent in western UP, farmers in eastern UP have started to agitate against the arbitrary use of section 17 of the Land Acquisition Act under which their right to object to acquisition can be negated on the pretext of “urgency”.
Farmers in Katesar village of Chandauli near Varanasi have threatened self-immolation if their land acquired by the Varanasi Development Authority is not returned. The farmers accuse the government of forcibly acquiring their fertile lands for development.
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