U-turn : Farmers say they can talk price with authority

NOIDA EXTENSION: Now they will, now they won’t ...amid the many Uturns farmers, builders and the Greater Noida Authority (GNIDA) have taken since the Sahberi verdict two weeks ago, making the whole land row a whirlpool sucking in homebuyers, the farmers on Wednesday declared they were open to talks with GNIDA. Up to now, they had steadfastly refused to have any dealings with the Authority.

This shift in stance was brought about by the realization that dealing directly with builders, an option farmers had been harping on up to now, would not benefit all of them uniformly. “Negotiating directly with builders will not solve the problem, as they will offer varied rates to farmers. Thus, we want the Authority to approach us with a good package that will help us secure a good future for our families,” said farmer Vijay Singh, who had convened a meeting of villagers on Wednesday.

At the mahapanchayat (conclave ) of five Greater Noida villages — Bisrakh, Patwari, Iteda, Haibatpur and Rauza Jalalpur — in Bisrakh, farmers talked about working out an ‘amicable solution’ to the current land acquisition crisis . Discarding their ‘anti-Authority’ stance, the villagers decided they were willing to “renegotiate with GNIDA for a suitable compensation package.”

There was a tone of acceptance about the land acquisition as a done deal, and also the practical difficulties in returning to farming . “Massive construction has been done. The land has lost its fertility. Thousands of investors have put in money, thus trying to turn the clock back now would be a colossal waste for all parties,” said Vijay Singh.
Girish Tyagi of Rauza Yakubpur village, who is seeking return of his 18 bighas, said, “The Authority has sold land to builders at the rate of around Rs 12,000 per square metre. It spent a small part of this money for development of land; we would be happy if even half of the remaining amount is paid to us” . “We don’t want any confrontation with the Authority. We are talking among ourselves as to how best to deal with the land once we get it back,” said Rajpal Singh Bhati of Bisrakh.

The villagers, however, said the Authority would have to come to them for talks. “The CEO and senior officers have all our numbers, and must call us to discuss the matter . Actually, none of the villagers are against giving up their land. The HC order has created a fresh problem by quashing the acquisition itself. The main problem was the urgency clause and change in land use, not the development work,” said Ajay Bhati, headman of Bisrakh.

The mood seemed sober even in Patwari village that had celebrated the court verdict favouring it, on Tuesday. “Farming is no longer possible on land which has 20-25 floors rising from it,” said Balraj Pradhan, a farmer in Patwari . On dealing with the authority , he said, “We would have had no issue if the land had been taken with our consent; there should have been a neutral committee to decide upon the rates of land and the rehabilitation package that would be available to villagers” .