Expressway protests spread,work at a halt

Agitated farmers torched a power generator along with other machinery at one of the construction sites,while offices and equipment of Jaypee group,the developer for the Expressway,were attacked at other places.

The agitation may hit construction of the 165-km-long Yamuna Expressway,which will connect Greater Noida to Agra,and which is just months away from its targeted completion date of October 2011.

Accusing opposition parties of provoking the farmers to serve their own interests,the Uttar Pradesh government claimed it wasnt land acquisition issues that led to yesterdays clash. Land had been acquired in the village way back in July 2010,it said.

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow,Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said UP is the only state that acquires farmers land under a Karar Niyamwali a legal agreement. Land was acquired as part of a normal development process undertaken by the Greater Noida Authority in the area,on the lines of its master plan,he said. Land can be used for construction of roads or even school building.

According to Singh,the Greater Noida Authority had started the process for land acquisition in the twin villages Bhatta and Parsaul in March 2009.

While 175 hectares were acquired in Bhatta for Rs 120 crore,260 hectares were taken in Parsaul village for Rs 180 crore compensation. However,Singh had no satisfactory reply on what the land had been acquired for.

Violence was seen today at the site of the Expressway in Agra after about 100 villagers gathered at the spot and torched the power generator and other equipment.

Teams of the police and Provincial Armed Constabulary were sent to remove the villagers from the spot,but they were pelted with stones and chased away. Four PAC personnel sustained injuries in the stone-pelting,including one in the head. Agra DIG Asim Arun said no villager had reported any injuries.

As all the land required for the Expressway has already been acquired in Agra,without protests from any quarters,the district administration believes todays incident was merely a result of the Greater Noida clashes.

Said District Magistrate Ajay Chauhan: All the 117 hectares required for the 17.5-km stretch of Yamuna Expressway in Agra have been acquired and distribution of compensation is almost complete. Compensation should not be an issue here because villagers from this area never met me with any demand to raise the compensation amount. He assured that work would start at the site soon.

In Aligarh,agitated farmers targeted the construction site of Jaypee Group and torched a temporary shelter made for workers. No major loss to property was reported.

It was at Tappal in Aligarh that farmers had held mass protests over land acquisition some time back,holding up the Expressway.

In Greater Noida,yesterdays clashes claimed another victim when a protester identified as Kalu succumbed to his injuries. Two policemen,Manvir Singh and Manohar Singh,and a farmer Rajveer had earlier died in the clashes that started after police swooped on the village to rescue three state roadways employees held hostage by farmers. District Magistrate Deepak Aggarwal and Senior SP S N Singh received injuries and are recuperating,but three constables remain in a critical state.

Calling the farmers agitation an agitation by criminals,the district administration arrested 32 villagers today after an extensive search operation in Bhatta-Parsaul involving 27 teams. ADM O P Arya said they were looking for the weapons looted by the villagers from authorities. The villagers,however,feared the cops were rounding up all the men of the area,who have gone into hiding.

The administration announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for any information leading to Manveer Singh Tevatia,who has been leading the farmers agitation here since January 17. A reward was also announced for information on Premveer and Neeraj Malik Rs 15,000 each and Gaje Singh,Kiranpal and Manoj Rs 10,000 each,who allegedly incited the protesters who clashed with the police.

Tevatia along with around 50 men has been instigating innocent farmers. Ninety-nine per cent farmers are satisfied with the new rehabilitation policy of the state, Special DGP Brij Lal,who visited the village to take stock of the situation last night,said.

The Cabinet Secretary denied charges of police high-handedness in Greater Noida and said there were no disputes related to land acquisition in Agra,he said,the protests were connected to construction of ceiling of a temple. I am quoting the CM. She asked the opposition parties to first collect facts and then make statements over any issue.