Farmers who gave their land for the recently-inaugurated Jewar airport in Uttar Pradesh are yet to be compensated by the ruling BJP in the state, farmer leaders said on Wednesday.
“Land acquisition by governments for development initiatives is a major issue today in the country. In Uttar Pradesh, farmers are yet to receive the compensation for their land acquired for the (Jewar) airport. A total of 519 villages, falling in the stretch of Meerut to Allahabad—Ganga Expressway—have been directed by the BJP government not to sell their land. A notification has been issued in this regard, which means there is another acquisition in the offing,” All India Kisan Khet Mazdoor Sangathan (AIKKMS) president Satyavan said.
Another farmer leader Darshan Pal said the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) will hold a mass agitation, including ‘Jail Bharo’ and ‘Rail Roko’, on August 10 against the “anti-people” policies of the central government.
“We call upon farmers for a pan-India mass protest until the government enact law for MSP at C2+50% with guaranteed procurement, repeal FTAs (free trade agreements), and implement a comprehensive loan waiver policy. We will also press for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in the wake of the NEET fiasco,” he said.
Satyavan also said that farmers in Haryana are protesting over acute drinking water shortage at Hisar. These agitations—often spearheaded by local residents, women, and farm activists—center on delayed infrastructure projects, dry canal tail-ends, and defunct treatment plants that force residents to rely on contaminated water or expensive private tankers, he said.
The Samyukt Kisan Morcha is spearheading a massive public movement in neighbouring Punjab demanding resolution to the state’s severe river-water sharing disputes, control of dams, and alarming groundwater depletion. The union demands guaranteed canal water for every farm and a legal framework to resolve water issues based on riparian principles.
It said it will hold a separate convention on water issues being faced across the country.
The farmers body will also organize an All-India Convention on July 29 in Delhi with the participation of state and district leadership to declare the next phase of the campaign and struggles.
