AIKS Congratulates Farmers of Greater Noida For Spectacular Victory
AIKS congratulates the farmers of Greater Noida for attaining victory in their 61-Day long Day and Night Dharna in front the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) that began on 25th April 2023. This victory is significant as the agreement recognises the rights of the peasantry conferred in the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in the Land (Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) [LARR] Act 2013. This achievement will help all the farmers and landholders across the country who are affected by land acquisition projects and were denied the rights conferred by the LARR Act 2013. AIKS calls upon the farmers of the Greater Noida villages to observe 28th June 2023 as the Victory Day. The state units of AIKS will observe victory day in the villages before 10th July 2023.
The Uttar Pradesh Government has agreed to form a High-Power Committee through notification before 30th June 2023 with the state minister for Industrial Department as President and the Members of the Parliament (both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha), the MLAs of Jevar and Dadri, the Chairman of GNIDA, Chief Secretary of the Industrial Development Department, the CEO of GNIDA, and representatives of the farmers as members. This committee will consider various demands raised by the farmers including return 10% of the developed land to the land holders, regulation of the shifting of the land as per the policy incorporated in the bylaw of the authority, resumption of 120 square metre (sqm) house plot to the landless families, resume the quota of 17.5% of the residential plot under the authority to the farmers etc. The committee will have its sitting before 15th July 2023 to discuss all these demands and ensure its execution as per the law.
The District Magistrate of Gautham Buddha Nagar has formed a committee to take action as per the law on the assurance made by the administration in the agreement on 3rd September 2010 to revise the circle rate of land and provide employment to the affected farmer families.
The GNIDA will take action on the issues under its jurisdiction like waiving penalty on delay on construction on the 6% house plots, preparing roster of affected farmers in the remaining villages, ensuring a sub-partition of land up to minimum of 40 sqm, and ensuring house plots of 40 sqm for landless families in all the villages as per the agreement made in the Patwadi village etc.
The second UPA Government had adopted the LARR Act 2013 after a series of struggles by the farmers against the forceful acquisition of land across India in which many farmers become martyrs. During that period five farmers were killed in 2008 at Greater Noida and two farmers killed in 2011 in the village Bhatta Pursual in the Noida region.
This 2013 Act had provided higher compensation of two-fold in the urban area and four-fold in the rural area over the circle rate, clause for social impact study, and provisions for rehabilitation, resettlement, employment in the industry and services for the affected families, house plot for landless families in the village, access to education and health etc.
However, after the 2014 general election the BJP led Government under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the pressure of the corporate forces had brought the infamous Land Acquisition Ordinance in 2015 to deny the rights conferred by the LARR Act 2013. When the farmers resisted and foiled enactment of the ordinance through widespread agitation under the banner of the Bhumi Adhikar Andolan, the NDA had directed the state governments under its control to enact land acquisition laws in the assemblies thus to deny the rights of the peasantry. In this context a series of struggles for fair compensation and other rights are going on in different parts of the country.
The success of the Greater Noida farmers to force the Yogi Adityanath Government of Uttar Pradesh to accept their genuine demands which were part of the agreement of 2011 is remarkable in this context.
Under the banner of Bhumi Adhikar Andolan a country wide convention of farmers affected by the land acquisition projects will be convened in the second half of August 2023 in Madhya Pradesh. The date and venue will be announced soon.
AIKS once again congratulates the valiant fighters especially the women and youth of Greater Noida Villages who have won this very important struggle for land rights of the peasantry across India. There will be more struggles in the coming days to ensure justice to all the victim farmer families of the pro-corporate policy of land acquisition under the BJP led Union Government as well as the states governments across the country.
The press conference is attended by Dr Vijoo Krishnan (General Secretary, AIKS), Hannan Mollah (Vice President, AIKS), P Krishnaprasad (Finance secretary, AIKS), Pushpendra Tyagi (CKC Member, AIKS) and grassroot struggle leaders including Dr Rupesh Verma, Veer Singh Nagar and Brahmapal Subedar.
Issued by,
Vijoo Krishnan
General Secretary
Ashok Dhawale
President
SOME PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE 2 MONTH LONG PROTEST
