by Paul Joseph
May 15, 2012
After the Allahabad high court rejected the review petition of villagers in Noida Extension, a small section of farmers unhappy with the order went on a rampage targeting projects of several builders. Other farmers were, however, happy that the Allahabad high court had turned down the plea made by the Greater Noida Authority in its review petition to not dole out hiked compensation and developed plots to non-ancestral lands of villagers. Soon after news of the order reached Noida Extension, some agitated farmers took to the streets and targeted under-construction properties of developers. They blocked traffic at the Gol Chakkar in Noida Extension for a few hours. The angry crowd was dispersed following police intervention. “After getting news about farmers agitating in the region, we reached the spot and our officials managed to quell the agitation,” said SP (Rural), Ashok Kumar. The police informed that no case has been filed into the incident of violence. “We are likely to register a case into the matter,” Kumar added. Farmers’ counsel, Pankaj Dubey, informed that after facing rejection from the high court, where they had sought land to be given back to farmers, they would now challenge the October 21 verdict in the Supreme Court. Other sections of farmers have expressed happiness over the fact that the plea made by Greater Noida Authority, vide its review petition, in which it had expressed its inability to pay hiked compensation and developed plots to all farmers has been turned down. The Authority had asked for relief from the high court in granting it order to pay compensation and plots only to those farmers who had ‘ancestral lands’ in the region as against ‘non-ancestral lands’ belonging to those who are not originally from the region but own land in different villages. “The Authority had been trying to make a difference between ancestral and non-ancestral land in the region in giving compensation to farmers,” said Ranveer Pradhan, president of a farmers’ organization, Grameen Panchayat Morcha. “Not only was the Authority shy of giving any developed plots in lieu of acquiring ‘non-ancestral’ lands, they had also been paying 10% less compensation to owners of such lands. It is a matter of great satisfaction that farmers across the board are eligible to get 64% hiked compensation and 10% developed plots now that the high court has upheld its original order delivered on October 21,” said Pradhan. The Grameen Panchayat Morcha said that there is a vast amount of land in the Noida Extension region which the Authority had classified as ‘non-ancestral’.
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by Paul Joseph
May 15, 2012
Home-buyers in Noida and Greater Noida will have to wait longer for their flats. The Allahabad high court on Monday dismissed the plea of the Noida and Greater Noida authorities seeking review of its earlier order requiring all projects in the area to get the NCR Planning Board’s approval. So, till these clearances are in place, buyers will not get possession. However, there was some relief for the buyers as well, with the court striking down a review petition by a group of villagers who wanted the land acquisition quashed in a village where construction work had started. The ruling led to some farmers in Noida Extension taking to the streets and attacking housing projects. They blocked traffic for a few hours. The court also stuck to its earlier ruling granting increased compensation as well as 10% of the developed land to farmers. Both the Noida and Greater Noida authorities had filed applications seeking review of the order dated October 21, 2011 which requires the NCR Board’s clearances for projects. The authorities argued before the three-judge bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, S U Khan and V K Shukla that there was no need for such approvals but the bench was not impressed. The court also dismissed applications to review the order on providing 10% developed plots to farmers. The authorities said development work in the area was almost complete and there were no leftover plots which could be given to farmers. Appearing for the farmers, Kamal Singh Yadav, opposed the review applications saying developed plots were available but were not being provided to farmers. On October 21, 2011, after hearing 491 petitions against land acquisition filed by farmers of 63 villages falling under Noida and Greater Noida, the Allahabad High Court had cancelled land acquisition in three villages where construction had not started. The acquisition was undertaken by the authorities using the urgency clause in the name of industrial development. But later the land use was changed to residential and plots sold to builders. However, in 60 villages where substantial construction work was already done, the court did not quash the acquisition. Instead, it asked the authorities to increase compensation and provide 10% to the affected farmers. Thus, while ensuring enhanced compensation to farmers, the court also took into account the interest of more than 50,000 people who had booked flats and houses in projects on the acquired land. Now, the two authorities have no other option but to take approval of NCR planning boardwhose meeting is scheduled later this month and pay enhanced compensation to farmers.
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