Noida: Noida Authority has amended its Master Plan 2031 to resolve pending cases involving the allotment of 5% developed residential plots to farmers. The amendment provides for earmarking these plots on land adjoining existing village abadi areas and is expected to pave the way for allotment to nearly 13,000 farmers who gave up their land for development projects but are yet to receive developed plots that were part of the compensation package.Noida, Greater Noida and Yamuna authorities currently follow a policy of giving farmers 5%, 6% and 7% of developed plots respectively in return for acquired land. Allotment has been planned in several cases, but farmers claim nearly 12,800 beneficiaries are still awaiting developed plots.“Since the master plan 2031 is nearing full implementation, identifying suitable locations for planning and allotting the remaining plots has become difficult. In view of farmers’ demand for an early resolution of these cases, the Authority has decided to amend the master plan to allow 5% abadi plots on land adjoining existing village abadi,” a Noida Authority official said.Officials said the Authority will now invite objections and suggestions from the public before sending the proposal to the state government for approval. Once the amendment is approved, the Authority will acquire suitable land and allot plots to eligible farmers.Over the past decade, Noida has seen multiple protests by farmers seeking 64.7% additional compensation and 10% developed plots. The most recent was held on Oct 7, when farmers under the banner of BKU (Manch) protested outside the Authority’s Sector 96 office and demanded developed plots in return for land acquired for planned development.The demand stems from the Allahabad High Court’s Oct 2011 order in the Gajraj versus State of UP case, which directed 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.So far, Noida Authority has paid enhanced compensation to farmers, but developed plots have not been allotted to many of the affected farmers because of a shortage of land. The 2031 master plan envisages acquisition of 15,279 hectares of land. According to a 2021 CAG audit, the Authority acquired nearly 12,375 hectares in 69 villages between its formation in 1976 and 2020.In Feb 2024, UP govt constituted a three-member high-powered committee to examine the issue. The panel, comprising revenue board chairperson Rajneesh Dube, then Noida district magistrate Manish Kumar and Meerut divisional commissioner Selva Kumari J, examined the farmers’ demands and submitted its report in Aug 2024, which concluded 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 raised by farmers.The amendment is likely to accelerate construction and push up land values in Hajipur, Salarpur, Bhangel and Sorkha villages that are located close to developed sectors. However, the scale of growth will depend on the identification availability of land and the allotment process.
