Farmers from various villages in Greater Noida have been protesting against the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for years. Some claim they have been fighting for over 30 years, ageing in the process, yet their issues remain unresolved. The farmers are demanding equal compensation for the land acquired by NTPC to set up the Dadri power plant.
Uneven Compensation Claims
Subedar Singh Raghav, a farmer, shared his experience: “I have received payments 2-3 times. Sometimes I got Rs. 1,70,000, sometimes Rs. 14,000, sometimes Rs. 15,000. Our land was taken away four times—40 bighas in total—in 1980, 1987, 1989, and 2004. In 1989, when our land was taken away, we were paid very little compensation.”
Raghav added, “Some got Rs. 50 per yard; some got Rs. 250 per yard. We received Rs. 4 per yard and Rs. 6 per yard. We want the government to give us equal compensation for all and employment for all.”
Geeta Devi, another farmer, emphasised the need for equal compensation: “They gave Rs. 100 per yard to someone, Rs. 250 per yard to someone else, and Rs. 200 per yard to another person during the same time period. This is unjust.”
Kanchi Lal Sharma, who had to part with 5 bighas of land, detailed his losses: “We were given Rs. 20 per yard. We only got around Rs. 20,000.”
Sharma explained that he should have received at least Rs. 5 to 10 lakh as per the market value of the land during the time. “We just got Rs. 20,000 for 5 bighas of land. People are so upset; they lost their 20-25-50 bighas of land. Today their situation is very dire. When they were given only Rs. 10 per yard compensation, some people used that money to build houses, and they exhausted it. Now, they have no money for their livelihood. All the farmers are unhappy; they are living in a very distressing state. They do not even have slippers to wear. Some are so poor,” he added.
Unfulfilled Promises, Say Farmers
Despite NTPC's claims of fair compensation based on land acquisition rates at the time, farmers argue that the government has broken the promises.
Raghav voiced his grievances: “They did not even give us electricity. When the power corporation was spreading light around the world, they kept the people here in darkness. At least, they should have provided electricity within a 5-kilometer area for the people whose land was taken for the power plant.”
Sharma rued, “Our problem is that our land was taken away but in return, we were not properly compensated nor provided with jobs. When our movement started in 1994, a leader was called, and the power corporation had given written assurance that they would provide facilities and jobs but did not deliver on that promise.”
While NTPC has its version of events, the farmers have their own stories. They say they were happily using their land for farming and other activities when the power corporation came in for land acquisition. Today, many of these families are on the verge of poverty. They feel deceived and have lost their livelihoods. Worse, when they protest, their voices are met with indifference. Many claim they have faced police brutality and imprisonment.
Sharma recounted the harsh treatment they faced: “Around 13 of our farmers were in jail for 26 days. They were behind bars. The worst thing that happened to us was that the government did not support us. We were pressured, lathicharged, and subjected to water cannons. Our women were also beaten up, and even the elderly were not spared. The ruling party, BJP, did not come forward to support us. We also did gheraos, but even the MLA from our area did not think it necessary to communicate with us.”
Lajja Vati, another farmer, expressed the despair of the community: “We approached many legislators over the years. We protested in many places but till date, no one has heard us out. All these women (points to women) are sitting with hearts filled with pain and anguish. They all have lost their lands.”
Farmers Demand Employment
The farmers claim they were promised jobs by NTPC, but only a few received employment. Without jobs, land, and with insufficient compensation, they say they are on a constant battle for survival. They say that had they known this would be the outcome, they would not have given their lands to the power corporation.
Gopal Sharma, a farmer, explained the situation: “From 1986 to 1995, NTPC acquired land 3 to 4 times and misled the farmers with different compensation rates. The land acquisition bill clearly states that equal compensation should be provided to all farmers. Instead, they treated farmers as if they were customers in a local shop. There is no employment. Only 182 people were given jobs, and all others were ignored. In reality, the lands of 2,291 farmers were taken, and only 182 of them got employment. This is gross injustice to the farmers.”
Farmers' Anger and Desperation
The farmers admit they don't know much about the law or their rights. All they know is that the government should have protected their interests. Instead, they are suffering because they blindly trusted the government and parted with their lands.
Rupvati, a protesting farmer, added, “Our land has been taken away. My father-in-law’s 36 acres have been taken away and 70 acres have been taken from another elder member of my family. They did not give jobs to even a single member of the family. Neither did they pay the right compensation nor did we collect it from them. For the last 30 years, 15 lakhs is still lying in the bank. When NTPC's stomach gets filled, let them provide compensation to us. We are poor. We will manage our livelihood somehow till then.”
Sukhbir Khalifa, the National President of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, emphasised the need for government intervention: “We have all the evidence. With that evidence, we were protesting at NTPC sometime back when the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar came to us and he promised us that he would form a committee. He asked us to hand over all our evidence to him and said that whichever committee handles the issue will start working on the grievances. So, we are saying that whatever discrepancy has been found by the committee, you come out with a decision and get it implemented. This fight can't go on forever."
NTPC Denies Employment Commitment, Agrees to Follow Committee's Decision
NTPC told The Probe that no written commitment regarding employment had been made to the farmers. NTPC maintained that there has been no discrepancy in compensation payments. They also said they are willing to abide by the decision of the high-power committee initiated by the District Magistrate to address the farmers' grievances.
Wilson Abraham, AGM of NTPC, explained the power corporation's stance: “As far as the farmers’ lands are concerned, these were acquired 35 years ago. This is not a recent acquisition. The acquisition started around 1985-87. Whatever the compensation rates were during those years, that was given to the farmers. NTPC never directly acquires the land. It is the district administration that acquires the land under the Land Acquisition Act. According to this, whatever rates have been determined by the district administration, NTPC pays it. Whatever their grievance related to compensation, let the high-power committe come to a decision and we will abide by it.”
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