Other States - Uttar Pradesh   

‘BSP violating Land Acquisition Act’

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna Joshi has accused the Bahujan Samaj Party government of violating the Land Acquisition Act in the National Capital Region and in Badalpur, Chief Minister Mayawati’s parental village in Gautam Buddha Nagar district.

Ms. Joshi alleged that the Act had been violated with impunity by State officials for acquiring seven bighas of land in the Chief Minister’s village for to build a world-class recreation centre.

Demanding that the Chief Minister issue a White Paper on the land acquisition in Badalpur village, the U.P. Congress leader told reporters here on Friday that the issue would be raised by the Congress in the forthcoming monsoon session of the Vidhan Sabha. Stating that farmers’ coordination committees have been constituted in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, Baghpat, Bulandshahr, Ghaziabad and Noida, Ms. Joshi threatened to launch a farmers’ agitation if they are not paid the right compensation for their land acquired by the authorities.

She said the Congress is not against acquiring land for development purposes, but the farmers should be paid a negotiated market price for their land. She said according to the Badalpur Farmers’ Action Committee, farmers have been paid compensation at the rate of Rs.710 per square metre as against the circle rate of Rs.8,000 per square metre. Dr. Joshi demanded that the Badalpur farmers be paid at the rate of Rs.15,000 per square metre.

Ms. Joshi described the BSP national convention to be held here on Saturday as a carnival, and alleged that the administrative machinery was being misused at a time when several parts of the State were reeling under floods which had rendered lakhs homeless.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

‘BSP violating Land Acquisition Act’
BSP ready for a show of strength

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu