Page 20 - 30NOV2019EA

Agrarian crisis

is far from over down. Apart from this, two vehicles were
also set afire including a mixer vehicle of
UPCIDA,” confirmed Additional District
Magistrate Rakesh Singh. “Due to the
burning of plastic pipes kept in the ware-
house, the fire took a gigantic form and
the panic of smoke rose to a great extent,
causing panic in the village,” he said.
“The police arrested five people
during the clash and registered cases
against 30 named and 200 unknown
people,” the SP of Unnao said. “Villagers
and some unruly elements attacked UP
State Industrial Development Corpora-
tion (UPSIDC) officials and their vehicles.
Some miscreants later fired at the police
team and also pelted stone on them. Five
Instead of disbursing higher payouts to farmers under the new law, police personnel were injured,” he added.
“Furious police teams are tracking
the Unnao administration is allegedly dispossessing them of their theleaders of the farmers and raided
many hideouts. Police teams are par-
fertile lands, reports mudit mathur
ticularly targeting one leader Hirendra
Nigam and his life is in danger,” alleged
he agrarian crisis and subse- view of inordinate delay under new law Ramshankar and Ramendra disclos-
quent land acquisition issues that aims to strengthen farmers’ rights ing that he is under the threat of elimi-
of the farmers of the state and interests. nation in police encounter. Police has
seems too far to be over. They In the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, detained more than 50 people in police
T appear to be victims of admin- angry farmers set ablaze UPSIDA’s ware- station including women in connec-
istrative apathy and shortsightedness. house over prolonged delay in payment tion with violence. Ramendra Mishra of
Natural calamities ruined their crops of higher compensation of their fer- village Sankarpur Sarai that the UPSIDA
resulting in unbearable debt burden on tile land adjacent to the banks of river officials have forcibly occupied land of
them. But insensitive government ma- Ganga acquired for the development of around 250 farmers without paying
chinery continues to conspire to usurp non-polluting industries and housing them proper compensation.
their land at throw-away prices without under its Trans Ganga City scheme in Congress General Secretary Priyanka
legitimate compensation. The farmers’ 2003. Farmers’ agitation turned violent, Gandhi sent a six-member party del-
unrest in Unnao over their forcible dis- resulting in loss of millions of rupees. egation on the spot to have firsthand
possession from their lands on which the Plastic pipes reduced to ashes while report under its leader of legislative par-
government acquisition stood lapsed in JCB machines and vehicles parked out- ty Aradhana Mishra Mona. These lead-
view of the new law enacted after Bhatta side got damaged on November 17, a day ers interacted with affected people and
Persol protests in 2013. The new law after farmers clashed with the police. The villagers during their visit at ground
enables farmers to get higher amount of farmers were demanding higher com-
compensation along with rehabilitation pensation under new law for their fertile
and resettlement rights in view of losing land acquired for an upcoming township
a perpetual source of their livelihood. and industrial estate.
The role of administration in Unnao The farmers also set on fire a power
was quite questionable where instead of substation there during sharp clashes
disbursing higher compensation to all with the police. The police had resorted
the leftover farmers under the new law, to heavy baton-charged and fired many
they bent upon to forcibly dispossess of round of teargas shells on them to con-
from their fertile lands. The Government trol the aggressively violent farmers.
had planned various housing and indus- They have not even spared women pro-
trial development projects on this land in testers. Earlier on November 16, farmers
the 2003 during Mulayam Singh Yadav- also pelted stones at the police party in-
led Samajwadi Party’s rule. Technically, juring five policemen, including CO City.
the land acquisition proceedings for the “Some anti-social elements had set
Trans Ganga City Unnao stood lapsed in fire to plastic pipes kept outside the go-

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