Thaindian News

Lucknow, Aug 26 (IANS) A large number of Samajwadi Party workers Thursday hit the streets in parts of Uttar Pradesh demanding scrapping of the multi-crore Yamuna Expressway project, party officials said here.
While the protests remained peaceful in most parts of the state, including the state capital, in Bijnor district, some 400 km from Lucknow, the party activists were baton charged after they tried to barge inside the Collectorate in the civil lines area.

Even as the police claimed no one was seriously injured in the incident, SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary claimed over 25 party activists were hospitalised as they suffered injuries in the police action.

“Police unnecessarily targeted our activists in Bijnor. On the directions of some BSP leaders, police resorted to force against our party workers to terrorise them,” Chaudhary told reporters here.

“Farmers’ condition cannot improve in the regime of Mayawati government which is acquiring farmers’ agriculture to undertake its ambitious projects. Moreover, the government is also not providing adequate compensation to the farmers,” he alleged.

Farmers in Uttar Pradesh have been agitating for higher compensation for their lands acquired for the Yamuna Expressway, which is expected to bring the driving time between New Delhi and Agra to about 90 minutes.

It will pass through Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Aligarh, Mahamaya Nagar (Hathras) and Mathura districts, and involves acquisition of land in 115 villages.

A total of 2,500 hectares is to be acquired for the development of the expressway — 500 hectares each in Noida, Aligarh and Agra and 1,000 hectares in Gautam Buddha Nagar.