Noida land acquisition turns violent

Noida Authority Deputy Chief Executive Officer N P Singh said they had initiated the process of land acquisition on Saturday and asked the residents to remove encroachments on 12,000 square metres,marked for development projects.

Singh said while the family had on Saturday agreed to part with their land for compensation,when the Authority officials went to the site with a police team on Tuesday,the residents refused to leave. They claimed the area was populated and,thus,could not be acquired,according to Singh.

The agitation began around 3 am on Tuesday,as Noida Authority officials and the police began demolishing 15 houses on what officials claim is Authority land. Around 8 am,the villagers allegedly began pelting stones at the demolition team,and the police resorted to firing in the air to disperse the crowd,an officer said.

Superintendent of Police (City) Ashok Tripathi,Greater Noida circle officer Vikas Tripathi and Sector-39 police station SHO Anil Samania were reportedly injured in the clash.

“The villagers became violent and we had to call in three PAC units and district police force to keep them under control,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Ashok K Singh said. “Fifteen villagers have been arrested; four Scorpio cars,two buses and a PAC van were damaged. The villagers were also planning to block the Expressway,but the police team stopped them.” A case of rioting and hindering a public servant from doing his duty has been registered against 16 people at the Sector 39 police station,an officer said.

District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal,who was present at the site,said strict action will be taken against those who incited the villagers. “A block head of the Congress party from Bulandshahr has been arrested for instigating violence,” he said.

Sources said the land belongs to one Shriram Shradhanand. In 2000,it was reportedly acquired and Shradhanand was told that he would be paid compensation. In 2002,the land was transferred to Noida Authority.

But the family alleged that the Authority is forcibly taking the land — they said there are people living on the land,and it is 5 per cent area of their total land. “The government cannot acquire this,” said Ramesh,a family member.

“We have been promised that 5 per cent of the total land would be given to us,” he said,“but the Authority has taken all our land and compensation is still pending. We have already given land for the Expressway construction along with 24 metres to construct road on the sides of Expressway.”

But a Noida Authority official said: “They built 15 houses on the land to show that it was part of populated area and cannot be acquired. The rest of the land could be taken away.”

According to the official,the family “refused to take” the full compensation. “Till Saturday,the family was ready to take compensation offered to them by ADM Land Authority but suddenly they changed their decision and became violent,” he added.