Farmers from different villages met in Greater Noida’s Kishorpur village on Sunday and decided to protest against the development of Jewar airport as their demands have not been addressed.
Hundreds of farmers attended the meeting, organised as part of an assessment mandated by the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The administration is supposed to submit a report, which includes all objections and suggestions from farmers, to the Ministry for environment clearance.
The farmers said they are on dharna since 71 days but administration officials are yet to meet them.
Concerns expressed
Among concerns expressed by the farmers against the project were felling of trees, exploitation of groundwater, dust and noise pollution.
Adverse impact
“The project will have an adverse impact on the environment. The administration takes action against us when we burn crop residue but they will cut down several trees and extract thousands of gallons of groundwater for the project,” said Nanak, a farmer.
Mukesh, another farmer, said, “Use of groundwater by locals has caused the water table to decline over time. The airport will directly impact groundwater level and people of nearby villages will also suffer. Also, frequent flights will disturb us while we sleep,” he said.
The farmers expressed apprehension that they will be asked to leave the land as soon as they receive the compensation amount. They also demanded that the project be named ‘Jewar airport’ instead of naming it after a politician.
