Relief in Patwari Village, Admin Begins Paying

Greater Noida: The out of court agreement reached between a 15-member committee of Patwari and the officials are super quick in making payment of revised land rates. Officials on Tuesday distributed cheques among 24 farmers. Another 14 farmers have signed the draft agreement. The CEO Rama Raman of GNIDA confirmed the payment.

If the Patwari pact stands, it will save 20,000 under constructed houses in the village. Generally, authority takes months to pay compensations but in it’s desperation this time the authority is issuing cheques in hurry. GNIDA will give the increased cash compensation to only those farmers who agree to the deal through affidavits, stating they will withdraw petitions and will never challenge the deal in court. The authority, three years ago acquired 589 hectares of land in Patwari at Rs 850 per sq m. About 15% of farmers have not accepted the compensation. Now, the compensation has been hiked to Rs 1400 per sq m. Of Rs 550 hiked, Rs 290 will be borne by the builders.

Property Prices Set to Soar in Twin Cities

The lands in Noida and Greater Noida will make houses costlier in both cities. Out of 54 villages in Noida, 40 have been agitating for plots for years. So, more land is still required. There will be no land left for allotment to developers. Demand for land is ever increasing; land prices are bound to go up considerably. Apart from 10,000 odd farmers who are seeking developed land plots, about 4500 farmers in 11 villages of Noida, whose land was acquired before 1997 have also launched an agitation.

The authority says in order to meet the demand the option of raising floor area ratio that allows construction of bulkier buildings. But this alone can’t solve the crisis. The land rates have to go up.

In Greater Noida, the situation is different. Here, two court decisions have quashed forcible acquisition of about 750 hectares of land in two villages. Other villages have also moved court. The process of out-of-court settlement is on. If the farmers are paid more, land prices automatically will go up. If there is no out-of-court settlement, land has to be reacquired under the state’s new acquisition policy, which leaves less saleable land with the authority.

Greater Noida farmers want more money, not land

NOIDA: The farmers in the Noida Extension announced that they simply want a better deal for their land, not the land itself. Striking a sympathetic note for buyers, the farmers said they wanted a solution to the problem rather not to hurt home buyers .

The Panchayat at Khairpur village on Tuesday , what emerged was a frank acceptance that the acquisition of their land was a done deal . The elders acknowledged that young people in their villages were not keen on a return to the farming days , and the result of trying to turn the clock back now would be a colossal waste for all parties. Massive construction has been done in several villages in the Noida Extension area . As a result , the land has lost its fertility and getting it back does not make any sense. The mixing of concrete with the top-soil had made the land infertile .

The farmers and the home buyers both are suffering on account of the government’s mistakes. The farmers do not have any problem with home buyers , who booked their dream homes in Noida Extension . They want a solution which will also benefit the buyers . At the end of the day, they are also being harassed by the so-called policy makers of the UP government.

“A Khairpur resident said, “When our land was acquired , we thought we would be paid handsomely . That’s why nearly 82 % villagers accepted the compensation . But after acquiring the land , the authority treated us shabbily , and we were paid paltry compensation”. “Farmers basically want 50% of their acquired land developed (with water , power supply and sewage lines ) and returned to them . Other than that , we are demanding 80 % of the market rate as compensation , and plots to landless farmers”.