LUCKNOW: Beginning with Dadri, the Jan Morcha will launch agitations in Varanasi, Agra, Mathura, Moradabad, Lucknow and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh where farmers' lands had been acquired for developing hi-tech cities and industrial development.

Agitation has also been planned in Haryana where the Government had decided to hand over 24,000 acres to Reliance Industries.

This was the outcome of a two-day Jan Morcha meeting held here for formulating a strategy and broad basing its agitation in the interest of farmers, labourers and other weaker sections.

Though the date for the proposed agitation will be finalised later, Jan Morcha convener and the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, said on Monday that on August 17, a march would be taken out from Dadri to Bachera Khurd village in Ghaziabad district, where the Reliance power project is proposed to be set up.

Mr. Singh said farmers' organisations from all over the country would be invited to participate in the Dadri march, which was earlier scheduled for August 15. Stating that land acquisition left a terrible impact on farmers and landless farm labourers, the former Prime Minister said it appeared that all the development activity was suited to the business interest of the rich and the corporate sector.

Mr. Singh said that even in the Uttar Pradesh Development Council there was no representative of farmers, labourers and weavers. The Centre should convene a meeting of the Chief Ministers and formulate guidelines for land acquisition.

The implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in Uttar Pradesh was another grey area where its benefit was not accruing to the poor.

He demanded that the programme be implemented in all the districts.

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