Farmers Threaten to Obstruct Work at Jewar Airport; Ask for Fair Compensation

For the 3,200 villagers of Ranhera, Dayantpur, Veerampur, Kureb, Karauli Bangar, and Mundhera, the six villages that will be acquired for the second phase of the greenfield Jewar International Airport, it’s a choice between the devil and the deep sea.

They are adamant about holding onto their lands until the administration owns up to their demands for fair compensation and suitable rehabilitation and resettlement benefits, even though they are eager for development to spread throughout the area once Asia's and the world's fourth-largest airport is complete. These include a proper relocation strategy and four times compensation for their lands on enhanced circle rates.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi is around 70 km away, and the airport's total land requirement is estimated to be around 5,000 hectares. The airport's first phase, which can accommodate 12 million passengers per annum, is anticipated to be finished by September 2024. Its capacity will expand to 30 million passengers per year with the second phase's completion by FY31, and it will reach 50 million and 70 million passengers per year with the third and fourth phases' completion by FY36 and FY40, respectively.

The Yamuna International Airport Private Limited (YIAPL), a 100% subsidiary of Zurich Airport International that was established as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop Jewar airport, has already received 1,334 hectares in Jewar from the state government.

The agreement stipulates that an additional 1,385 hectares must be made available next to the existing airport site for the second phase, which will allow for the construction of a third runway and aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facility. Nearly 1,185 hectares of the 1,385 hectares of land will be purchased from the farmers in these six villages.

According to information from the district administration, a total of 7,164 people will be impacted by the land acquisition; of those, 5,014 must consent to the LARR, which requires at least 70% of the landowners to approve a PPP project. However, as of July 6, only 1,814 residents had agreed, while 3,200 residents had rejected it because of the cost of the land.

"We have seen the living conditions of the farmers in the six villages that gave their lands for the first phase. They accepted the two-time payment after falling for the promises of a better future. They have since been moved to a rehabilitation facility, which lacks even the most fundamental services like sanitation, electricity, and water.” Pitam Singh, a farmer from Ranhera, said that the farmers have now decided they won't give their consent unless the administration owns up to their demands. "They also did not obtain any of the jobs promised by the administration," he added.

While farmers had agreed to pay Rs 2,300/sq m in the first phase, they are now asking for Rs 4,000/sq m. In addition to the price of the house, they are requesting that the area of the compensatory land be equivalent to the present one. The administration had allocated land that was half the size of the original plots during the acquisition's first phase.

The Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act (LARR), 2013, mandates that the government offer rural areas a circle rate that is four times the current circle rate. However, the Uttar Pradesh government abruptly transformed these six villages, along with the six that were acquired for the first phase, from rural to urban in 2017, making it possible for two-time compensation.

"Why were our villages notified as urban areas? It was done to reduce the rates of our land and facilitate the private players. While we do not mind handing over our lands for the greater good of the region and the country, it is also not fair for the government to deny us our rightful claim. The farmers of phase one were cheated and we will not allow that to be repeated with us Pawan Khatana of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, which has taken up the cause of these farmers.

"Despite the area's land prices rising over the past three years since the project began, we are still getting compensated at the old circular rates, which last saw an increase in 2016." Because of rising inflation, we won't accept the previous rates. We also need to consider our future, a different Dhirendra Chaudhary from Nagla Hukam Singh stated.

Thousands of farmers came together in a Mahapanchayat last month at the Jewar Airport site in Noida and unanimously decided to obstruct the airport's development if their demands weren't granted.

Speaking to FE, Dhirendra Singh, the MLA for Jewar, acknowledged that farmers have asked for higher compensation and have mentioned the lack of a circle rate hike in the last six to seven years and growing inflation as the key causes. He stated, "I agree with them and I have promised to take up these issues with chief minister Yogi Adityanath," but added that the industrial development of the region shouldn't be compromised. Farmers must understand that development will bring industry and create job opportunities for the area's youth, he said.

The district administration cannot go beyond its authority, according to Balram Singh, additional district magistrate (land acquisition), Gautam Budh Nagar. Farmers have the right to demand higher compensation because they are losing their farms, which are the foundation of their lives. "We are just following the Act and the compensation too will be given as per the provisions of the Act in a fair manner. The price of the land and other calculations will be made at a later stage by the government," he said.