Early Times Report
Srinagar, Nov 11: Affected farmers of semi Ring Road in Kashmir valley have decided to come on roads against the government once again as the authorities have failed to initiate work on the road in Jammu/Srinagar in spite of a lapse of two years since the land acquisition process began.
The framers allege that neither the construction on highway has been taken up nor have they been compensated.
Details available with Early Times reveal that a meeting of Land Owners Welfare Committee was held at Srinagar on Sunday. Framers from Budgam, Srinagar, Pulwama and Bandipora participated. The members decided that farmers would once again come on streets and protest against the government as it has failed to address the grievances of the affected farmers. The meeting was chaired by Haji Ghulam Hassan, patron of Land Owners Welfare Committee, and was presided by G A Paul, president of the committee.
Farmers have threatened that they will launch state-wide agitation from Kathua to Kupwara to fulfil their demands.
In past also, farmers from Budgam, Pulwama, Srinagar and Bandipora districts came on roads to press their demands. The farmers have been demanding that they should be paid four times more compensation than market value of land. Right now government is planning to pay only market value of land plus 15 % jabirana (solatium)
As already reported by Early Times an alternate 62 km highway is coming up connecting outer Pampore highway with Manigam-Ganderbal via Wathoora, Chadoora, Budgam, Wadwan, Narbal, Sumbal, Lar and Manigam in Ganderbal. This Semi Ring road starts from Gallandar Pampore and ends at Manigam in Ganderbal. 6000 kanals of agriculture land will be acquired in Pulwama, Budgam, Srinagar and some parts of Baramulla, Bandipora and Ganderbal districts.
In the first phase, Gallandar to Narbal project will be taken up and then in the second phase Manigam-Ganderbal road link will be executed . Most affected district will be Budgam as around 4000 kanals of land will be acquired very soon. In Ganderbal 2341 kanals of land will be acquired. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) will be executing this project and the said authority has already deposited hundreds of crores into the accounts of respective Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and the process of payment of land compensation has started.
Before authorities take up this project the following suggestions need to be taken into consideration by J&K government and NHAI, the land owners said:
"The NHAI should pay compensation to the farmers/other persons whose land and property is acquired for construction of highways at par with other states of India. 4 times in rural areas, 2 times in urban areas, plus jobs," said G A Paul, president of the committee.
"As per the provisions of new Land Acquisition Rehabilitation & Resettlement Act (LARR) enacted by the government in 2013, land and property owners get 4 times more compensation than the market value of land/property in rural areas and 2 times in urban areas, but the said law is not applicable in J&K. Thus our land is snatched for peanuts. We took up this matter with former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, In fact we tried to meet Divisional Commissioner Kashmir, but he didn't even list our grievance. We appeal Governor Shri Satyapal Malik to give us an appointment and address our grievance," said Ali Mohammad Wani, general secretary of the committee
Pertinently Kashmir valley and large parts of Jammu division have lost its limited agriculture land to residential colonies, shopping complexes, railways and highways. Within 15 to 20 years 80 to 90% of the villagers in J&K will be landless and on the other hand state government is doing sheer injustice with the people of Jammu and Kashmir by paying them peanuts during land acquisition process. On the other hand NHAI pays adequate compensation to farmers in other parts of country. |
