SC offered a Ray of Hope to Villagers of Sahberi
Thousands of villagers of Bisrakh Patwadi, Khairpur, Iteda, Haibatpur and Ghanghoula, all part of Noida Extension , are now seeking legal help to move the Allahabad High Court, seeking reversal of acquisition of their land.
As per sources, over 15,000 hectares of land has been acquired in the Greater Noida in the last twenty years, using a controversial clause in the land acquisition act which allow governments to acquire land without giving landowners the right to a hearing. Authority officials were unavailable for comment.
Of the 120 petitions already submitted in the high court, 35 were moved in May this year following the high court order on land acquisition. And now, more petitions could pile up. 120 petitions cover an area of 2000 hectares, that villagers claim have been acquired by invoking the emergency clause. While the Supreme Court order triggered a wave of celebration in Sahberi village, it also set off a ripple effect in neighbouring villages, where emboldened residents are now seeking to reclaim their land. And just hours after the Supreme Court order came on Wednesday, a mahapanchayat was organised at Bisrakh village. Hundreds of farmers decided in one voice to reclaim their land. “The Supreme Court order has offered a ray of hope to villagers who have been cheated by the Greater Noida Authority .
“We are the actual owners of land where the Amrapali Smart City is being built. Till a couple of years back, we grew vegetables. Suddenly in late 2009, workers of the Amrapali group stopped us. We went to the Authority with our land papers only to be told that the land had been acquired,” said Nadeem Hussain. He owns 42 hectares of the Smart City plot, while his two uncles Mohd Insaab and Naushad Ali own the remaining land. “The Supreme Court has helped the poor. Our land is our means of livelihood . Our land has been dug up and construction has begun, but the builder told us today that he will fill up the land and return it to us soon. Once we till the land again we will again grow vegetables ,” Hussain said. The court order may be limited to 400 acres in Sahberi, but it may soon open the floodgates of litigation. And this could spell more trouble for buyers and developers who have invested in Noida Extension.
At the time of acquisition, the officials said they wanted to set up industry and group housing societies, but instead the land was sold off to private builders at high rates,” said advocate Parminder Singh, who is representing the petitioners. Though Hussain wants to till his land again, but he’s a minority in the crowd. Most of the 120 petitioners want to reclaim their land and sell it off again at a higher rate.
Meanwhile, in Bisrakh, over 6,000 villagers have already moved the high court seeking denotification of over 570 hectares of land acquired by the authority . The court has fixed July 11 as the date for a final hearing. “We are not against selling off our land to builders because if residential societies come up, commercial development will happen. But our land was taken over by several private builders who are now selling off flats at high rates,” said Ajay Bhati, village Pradhan of Bisrakh.
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