Land acquisition: Farmers stage protest in Gurugram; lock HSIIDC, Tehsil offices

Gurugram, June 28 (IANS) Hundreds of farmers of Kasan, Mokalwas, Sehrawan, and other adjoining villages on Wednesday staged protest and locked the offices of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) and Manesar Tehsil, demanding the cancellation of land acquisition.

The protesters alleged that the government acquired 1,810 acres of land in 2011 at just Rs 55 to 90 lakh per acre which is extremely low in comparison to the current land value.

They said that they do not want to surrender their land and will continue to oppose government’s land acquirement plan.

“We are protesting since year but the government has not responded to our demands. Farmers should be compensated at current land value as per new land acquisition law. If the government does not accept our demand then the land should get free of acquisition,” said a protesting farmer.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) visited the protesting farmers and tried to pacify them, however farmers did not gave up on their protests.

Aam Aadmi Party State President Sushil Gupta also visited the protesting farmers and extended support to protesters.

Attacking BJP and Congress, he said: “Khattar government hates farmers. Even during Bhupendra Hooda’s government, he worked to kill the rights of the farmers so that his builder friends get benefited; now the Khattar government is constantly troubling the farmers.”

He said that an Act was passed by the Central Government which talked about giving double compensation of market rate to the farmers.

“The market value of land here ranges from Rs 5 crore to Rs 15 crore per acre and they want to give compensation in lakhs. Due to the anti-farmer policy of the government, today farmers are forced to sit on streets,” he said.

Farmer leader Chaudhary Santokh Singh said that the government wants to benefit the industrialists by uprooting the farmers.

“We demand that the land should be set free of acquisition. Farmers should be compensated at the market rate as per the new land acquisition law,” he said.

--IANSstr/dan/uk