The Communist Party of India(Marxist) on Thursday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of indulging in “naked loot” of the land resources belonging to farmers and handing them over to big business and real estate sharks.
It asked the Centre to bring in amendments to the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill before Parliament without delay and put an end to the practice of handing over land cheaply to real estate companies and corporates through state intervention.
An editorial in the latest edition of party organ, People's Democracy, said the protest by farmers of Bhatta Parsaul village in Greater Noida, near Delhi, against unfair land acquisition for the Yamuna Expressway and the clash with the police highlighted the “land-grab” going on in Uttar Pradesh under the auspices of the State government.
It said, the Mayawati government handed over the contract for the 165 km Expressway from Greater Noida to Agra to a private company, JP Associates, and acquired 2,500 hectares of land from farmers for this purpose.
But the acquisition did not end here, it said, adding that the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority was acquiring thousands of hectares of land in the areas adjoining the expressway and selling them to real estate companies at prices 10-20 times higher than what was given to the farmers. The builders and real estate companies, in turn, were selling land at 50 to 100 times the price originally given to the farmers.
“This is naked loot of the land resources of the farmers. It is not enough for the farmers to get fair compensation, but also rehabilitation and resettlement.”
