*NATIONAL ALLIANCE OF PEOPLE'S MOVEMENTS*
*----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------***
*
*Stop Playing Politics Over Dead Bodies in Greater Noida*
*
*Farm Communities Need Protection of Livelihood Not More Acquisition*
*New Delhi, May 11* : 165 Kms, Rs. 11,000 Crore Yamuna Expressway
Project being built by Jaypee infratech is soaked with the blood of the
Wstern Uttar Pradesh farmers. Starting from Aligarh Zirakpur, Tappal and
now Bhatta Parsaul nearly 7 people have died including 3 police men --
they too sons of farmers till date. What we are witnessing in Gautam
Budhha Nagar in form of NOIDA, Greater NOIDA, Greater NOIDA Extension
and construction beyond is the biggest land scam going on in the country
today, much beyond the 2G spectrum. The corporate houses, politicians
and real estate agents in active connivance of local administration is
involved in naked loot and plunder of prime agricultural land irrigated
by the upper Ganga canals. The police is being used to protect the
capital interests of these groups and lakhs of marginal farmers, dalits
and other farm communities are loosing their life and livelihood in the
process. The farmers are being forced to sell their agricultural land
and a situation has been created where it is impossible for them to
continue farming. This needs to STOP immediately before the conflicts
become much more severe.
What is ongoing in Bhatta Parsaul is a repeat of the situation last year
in Tappal village, Aligarh. *NAPM team members including the farmers of
Kanjhawala village (protesting against the land grab in their village
too), other activists and Medha Patkar and Bhupender Singh Rawat
National Convener visited the village Bhatta on May 10*^*th* *and spent
time meeting the women, visiting the bereaved family and held meetings
in the the nearby village S**adullapur in Greater Noida region who are
protesting the land acquisition too. *
Since the day firing happened leaders of different political parties
have been trying to enter the village but the local administration has
continued to refuse entry to any. Today somehow Shri Rahul Gandhi along
with Shri Digvijay Singh managed to reach the village and held meetings
with the villagers. The same scene was enacted last year in August where
leaders of every party thronged to the venue but inspite of all the
powers within their reach failed to negotiate or respond to the farmers
when they were protesting for many days. The dharna at Bhatta village
has been going on for nearly four months but none of the political
parties made an attempt at facilitating dialogue.
*In the Bhatta village till yesterday most of the men were away due to
fears of being arrested, in the name of providing relief and building
confidence district police is terrorising people and continues to be in
revengeful mood. The police officials in our presence continued to harp
on the point that how two of their colleagues died and their DM and
another senior official is in hospital. There is no acceptance of the
fact that beating of the women, men and elderly of the village and
destroying their property is criminal and not justifiable. In this case
the district police allowed the situation to aggravate and reach a stage
where situation turned violent. *
Women alleged that on past one or two occasions in the name of dialogue
some of the village folks were detained and beaten up. They said it was
the inability of the district administration to resolve the situation by
providing them the adequate share in the revenue being generated by the
state government in this whole project. They continued to reject their
demand and didn't try and negotiate in past four months when they were
peacefully sitting on the dharna. Today the police is trying to manage
the media and not let the news of their brutality come out in public.
For the first two days none of the print or electronic media was allowed
in and they had to report what the administration said.
*What the farmers of this region like every other conflict place in the
country **need is support to the farming, no diversion of the
agricultural land **and dialogue to resolve their problems**.
**Political parties trying to settle their political scores over the
blood of farmers in extremely condemnable.* It is unfortunate that every
party is demanding only amendments on the line of proposed Land
Acquisition (Amendment) 2009 rather than asking for complete repeal of
the draconian law responsible for dispossessing millions of farmers till
date and none seems to be concerned at all about the Resettlement and
Rehabilitation Bill 2009. *We demand REPEAL of Land Acquisition Act and
enactment of a Development Planning Act which will protect the interests
of the farmers, minimise displacement and provide relief to those
already displaced or will be displaced. *
If the UPA government and other parties are interested in minimising the
conflict then it is in every-bodies interest to strike the balance
between the interests of the farmers and developmental needs of the
country by enacting a development planning late, before it is too late.
*Medha Patkar, Bhupendera Singh Rawat, Rajendra Ravi, Hansraj Ghewra,
Madhuresh Kumar *
Contact : 9818905316
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==================
National Alliance of Peoples' Movements (NAPM)
C/O 6/6 (Basement), Jangpura B, Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 014
Mobile +91 9818 905316 | 011 2624 1167
email : [email protected] | [email protected]
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