Medha Patkar to join farmers’ agitation
May 9th, 2011 - 9:20 pm ICT by IANSNew Delhi, May 9 (IANS) Social activist Medha Patkar Monday expressed her full support for the farmers agitation against land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh, saying that the government is only interested in serving “private purposes”.
“We will be joining the movement tonight or tomorrow evening in Noida,” Patkar said here.
“Land acquisition is just a move to serve private purposes by diverting agricultural land for industrial purposes. Rights of the rural people are sacrificed in the name of development and political parties simply play over it,” Patkar said.
The farmers are demanding increased financial compensation for the land they claim has been forcibly taken away from them to build the 165-km Yamuna Expressway between New Delhi and Agra, that is expected to cut travelling time by an hour.
“This is yet another challenge for the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government. If people can protest against corruption, they can also raise their voice against looting of natural resources,” she added.
Patkar said that the details of the project, its impact, displacement caused, and compensation given to the farmers should be brought into public domain for transparency.
The farmers’s agitation, which turned violent and led to the killing of four people during an exchange of gun fire in Greater Noida Saturday, has since spread to Agra also.
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- Farmers' fury spreads, death toll four (Fourth Lead, correcting designation in para 4) - May 09, 2011
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- Mayawati responsible for farmer-police clash: Mulayam - May 09, 2011
- Agra farmers write petition in blood - Sep 01, 2010
- Uttar Pradesh farmers call indefinite fast from Monday - Aug 28, 2010
- NHRC team may visit Greater Noida village - May 11, 2011
- Congress blames Mayawati government for farmers' agitation - May 09, 2011
- Give farmers adequate compensation: Goa law commission - May 09, 2011
- Farmers clash with Indian police over new expressway - May 09, 2011
- Farmer fury spreads, death toll is four (Second Lead) - May 08, 2011
- Congress seeks judicial probe into Greater Noida violence (Lead) - May 10, 2011
- 'March to parliament to divert attention from farmers' issues' - Aug 25, 2010
- 4 injured as police open fire on agitating farmers - Feb 21, 2011
- Lok Sabha adjourned over farmer deaths (Lead, superseding earlier story) - Aug 16, 2010
Tags: agitation, agra, agricultural land, alliance government, corruption, displacement, farmers, financial compensation, gun fire, industrial purposes, land acquisition, natural resources, New Delhi, political parties, private purposes, progressive alliance, public domain, social activist, tomorrow evening, UPA