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Tappal Project
Maya mollifies farmers with new land policy
Shahira Naim
Tribune News Service

new promises Each farmer whose land is being acquired would receive an annuity at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre per year for 33 years. This would be over and above the money the farmer receives as compensation for selling his land On the annuity, the farmer will receive an annual increment of Rs 600 per acre every year If any farmer is not interested in the annuity, he will be offered a one-time rehabilitation package at the rate of Rs 2.40 lakh per acre In case a company is acquiring the land, the farmers selling it would be eligible for 25 per cent of the shares in the company In case the land is for development purposes, the primary farmer will be given 7 per cent of the acquired land for residential purposes

Lucknow, November 14
By deciding to revive the Tappal township project in Aligarh, the state government has opted for a middle course. It has agreed to give the farmers the benefit of the new pro-farmers rehabilitation and resettlement (R &R) policy but has held on to the land price promised earlier.

When the farmers of Tappal and its adjoining villages took to the streets in August this year demanding higher rates for their land being acquired for Tappal township along the 182-km Yamuna Expressway, little did they know that their protest would result in the Uttar Pradesh Government announcing the most pro-farmers rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy in the country.

What left them feeling cheated however was the fact that on the very same day the policy was announced - September 3, 2010 - the state government, respecting the farmers’ reservations on the issue, also decided to scrap the township project.

Ironically, the Tappal agitation that was instrumental in the UP government drafting the progressive R&R policy with prospective effect was to leave the Tappal farmers high and dry.

The farmers of Tappal and the four other villages - Kansera, Zirpur, Kripalpur, Jahangarh - were demanding higher compensation at par with that given in Noida and Greater Noida at Rs 880 per square foot. While the Mayawati government had agreed to raise the compensation from Rs 436 to Rs 570 per square foot, she decided to scrap the project altogether when the farmers still did not relent.

After mulling over the lost opportunity for over two months, a delegation of around 60 farmers landed in Lucknow last week and held detailed discussions with top officials. Finally, it was decided to revive the township, retain the Rs 570 per square foot compensation and give the farmers the benefit of the new R & R policy.

Speaking to this reporter, Principal Secretary, Industrial Development and Infrastructure Development, VN Garg said even earlier just 5 per cent of the 23,00 farmers were not ready to part with their land. While some still continue with their opposition and are demanding prices at par with that offered in Noida and Greater Noida, the majority of them want to be part of one of the most ambitious projects that is projected to change the face of this region.

With a proposed interchange (side road connecting with highway) at Tappal, farmers see the potential advantages, which six lanes Expressway promises.

Being implemented through Jaiypee Infratech Ltd, Yamuna Expressway (erstwhile Taj Expressway) promises to reduce travel time between the Capital and the tourist attraction of Agra to less than 100 minutes.