Noida, July 24: The mahapanchayat of farmers from Noida and Greater Noida on Sunday upped the ante by issuing an ultimatum to the authorities to fulfil their demands by August 5, failing which the farmers have threatened to stop all ongoing building projects.
The Mahapanchayat demanded a stiff amount of Rs 5000 per sq yard compensation for all land acquired after 2000, saying that these lands were acquired for industrial purpose, and had there been industries, their families would have got jobs.
The mahapanchayat, held in Sector 74 Noida, demanded that all vacant village land (aabadi) should be left on as-is-where-is basis, and compensation for 800 acres of land acquired from Sorkha, Kakrala and Salarpur villages be paid as per today's prevailing rates.
The mahapanchayat was attended by farmers from 15 villages - Kasna, Dabra, Dadha, Khanpur, Sirsa, Qayampur, Mathurapur, Aichhar, Barundi, Baronda, Loksa, Ladpura, Maychha, Raipur and Ghodibachera.
A 11-member committee was set up to pursue litigation in the High Court and Supreme Court.
A havan was performed by farmers in the ancient temple in Roza Yaqubpur village praying for a favourable judgement from the High Court on July 26 in the land acquisition cases.A bicycle march was also taken out by hundreds of farmers in Noida Extension to highlight their demands. 
Heavy police contingents were deployed to ward off any untoward incident, as the local civil contractors have also decided to launch agitation, as their contracts with the builders have been abruptly terminated after the High Court and Supreme court verdicts.
Greater Noida: Farmers in Greater Noida yesterday staged a protest at Shahberi village against the Uttar Pradesh government's move to acquire their land under a new policy, and vowed to oppose the move.
In a resolution passed at the sit-in, the farmers also decided to move a petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the officials responsible for an earlier land acquisition.
Meanwhile, those who bought the flats that came up on land which the Supreme Court restored to farmers also took out a march in Noida, demanding the government ensure their investments were safe and they get their homes at the prices agreed earlier.
High court orders
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The Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA) announced yesterday that the land of Shahberi village would be acquired under the newly introduced land acquisition policy.
"Complying with the high court orders, the land acquired earlier, after scrapping section five of the act, will be handed over to the farmers after they complete legal formalities and refund the compensation accepted by them," said GNIDA CEO Rama Raman.
"After the formalities are completed, the land will be notified under section four of the act and the objections will be invited from the farmers. After resolving objections, the land will be finally acquired and will be dispensed [with] accordingly under the new policy," he added.
Opposing the government's move, farmers' organisations called the new policy a "conspiracy hatched by the state under the obligation committed earlier to the builders" and reiterated their stand to oppose and expose the government's obliging of the private builders.
