Noida: A group of farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Manch) staged a protest outside Noida Authority’s office in Sector 96 on Wednesday, demanding allotment of 10% developed (abadi) plots against land acquired from them for planned development. They claimed nearly 12,800 farmers were yet to receive developed plots.BKU (Manch) president Vimal Tyagi said farmers’ demands had remained unresolved for years. “Every time we raise the demand for developed plots, officials say they have forwarded the matter to the state govt. We gave our lands, so we want the Authority to address our issues,” he said. Farmers also want village land to be exempted from mandatory map approval for construction activities.Noida Authority OSD Kranti Shekhar said officials were in talks with the farmers to resolve their issues.The demand for 64.7% additional compensation and 10% developed plots stems from Allahabad High Court’s Oct 2011 Gajraj versus State of UP judgment, where it ordered payment of an additional 64.7% compensation over and above the amount already paid to farmers, besides allotment of developed residential plots equivalent to 10% of the acquired land.While Noida Authority has already paid the additional compensation, the developed plots have not been allotted, citing a shortage of land.In Feb 2024, UP govt constituted a three-member high-powered committee, comprising Revenue Board chairperson Rajneesh Dube, then Noida DM Manish Kumar and Meerut divisional commissioner Selva Kumari J, to examine the farmers’ demands and submit its report in Aug 2024. The committee’s report stated that, based on documentary evidence and its analysis, the demands were not found to be justified or practical, and that it was not possible to form an opinion on some of the issues.
