The Uttar Pradesh government today scrapped the project for a township near Aligarh and Chief Minister Mayawati unveiled a new policy for rehabilitation of farmers, saying her “government and party were totally against forceful acquisition of farmers’ land”.
Under the new policy, there will be provision of annuity for 33 years to a farmer whose land is acquired. This will be in addition to the compensation for the acquired land. The policy, Mayawati said, was “better” than the one prevalent in Haryana. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, while addressing tribals in Niyamgiri in Orissa last month, had cited the Haryana policy as a model for other states.
After the state government declared that a township would not be set up if the farmers of Tappal in Aligarh district — the scene of violent protests over demands for higher rates of compensation for acquired land — did not want it, Aligarh Divisional Commissioner Rajeev Agarwal said: “A land parcel of 500 hectares was to be given to a private developer for developing a township at Tappal and 48 hectares of land for the interchange (to link Aligarh with the Yamuna Expressway). Both projects have been cancelled.”
The farmers of Aligarh and Agra, the government said, had been adequately compensated but the Opposition was “trying to vitiate law and order”. Briefing reporters on the the new policy decided by Mayawati, UP Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said:
* An amount of Rs 20,000 per acre per annum will be provided as annuity — a contract by which one gets fixed payments on an investment for a lifetime or for a specified number of years — for 33 years to a farmer whose land is acquired. It will be paid in addition to the compensation. There will be an increase of Rs 600 every year and it will be payable every July.
* If a farmer did not want the annuity, then he will be paid a one-time amount of Rs 240,000 per acre as rehabilitation subsidy.
* If a company acquires the land, then the farmer will have the option to hold 25 per cent share of land acquired by the company.
* In land development projects, the original land owners will be allotted 7 per cent of the acquired land for residential purposes. The minimum area of this allotted plot will be 120 sq m and the maximum limit will be decided by the related authority.
* If a housing scheme is being implemented at the land acquired by the authority, 17.5 per cent reservation will be applicable for affected farmers.
Pointing out that the Chief Minister had noted that the Congress had praised Haryana’s policy, Singh said the UP government had made arrangements to provide better facilities to farmers than Haryana.
He said farmers in Haryana were being provided an annuity of Rs 15,000 per acre per year for a length of 33 years in addition to the compensation. But in UP, he said, the farmers were being provided an annuity of Rs 20,000 per acre per year for a period of 33 years.
In Haryana, it was being increased by Rs 500 per year while in UP it was being hiked by Rs 600 per year. Moreover, there was no provision of one-time payment of annuity in Haryana, Singh said.
He said the Chief Minister supported the farmers’ demand for amendment of the Land Acquisition Act. She had also backed their decision to gherao Parliament on this issue.