Thaindian News

Greater Noida, Sep 3 (IANS) Over 40 Greater Noida farmers from 20 villages Saturday vowed not to accept the state government’s compensation package for land takeover, a peasant leader said.

At a meeting in Roza-Yakubpur village, the farmers also set up an 11-member committee of lawyers to fight their cases in the Allahabad High Court which is hearing petitions opposing land acquisition.

“Over 40 petitioner farmers, representing about 480 peasants present in the meeting, took a pledge not to accept the compensation and false promises of providing them plots and other facilities to their children in institutional and other schemes,” said farmer leader Ranvir Nagar.

?The Greater Noida authority wants to win over the farmers by hook or crook because it wants to serve the builders? interests. The farmer have to be cautious,” he said.

?Till now, out of 96 farmers’ petitions the authority officials have won over 56 farmers (petitioners) by providing them cheques of compensation,” he said.

?The Allahabad High Court has not pronounced its judgment but it was left to the farmers whether to accept or not to accept it (compensation package). But the authority wrongly propagated it and the innocent 56 farmers fell in its trap and accepted their compensation. But 40 farmers are left here to oppose them with full strength,? said Dushyant Nagar, another farmer leader.

Lawyer Rajendra Nagar, a member of the 11-member legal team of the farmers, said they would proceed to Allahabad and file the counter reply in the high court opposing and exposing the authority before the court.