The highly emotive land issue has traveled the breadth of Uttar Pradesh, from its western fringe of Bhatta Parsaul to the far east Chandauli, in Varanasi, carrying with it the same volcanic pressure that can derail development work on the one hand and disrupt the law and order situation on the other. This development is giving rise to fears that it may be another Bhatta Parsaul in the making.
Like in Bhatta Parsaul, villagers of Katesar village in Chandauli district are protesting against land acquisition by the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) to develop a cultural and institutional hub along the Ganges. Two government employees, including a sub-divisional magistrate, who had gone to talk to the protesting farmers on Saturday, were forcibly made to sit on dharna for several hours before they were let off. Threatening self-immolation if their land was acquired, the farmers blocked the Mirzapur-Sonebhadra highway and demanded a written assurance from the state government that their land will not be acquired.
Fearing that the problem may assume the ferocity of Bhatta Parsaul, the district magistrate of Chandauli, Vijay Kumar Tripathi met the farmers and assured them that there would be no forcible acquisition.
It may be mentioned that the Divisional Land Use Committee (DLUC) had in 2009, given its nod for acquiring 121 hectares of land at Katesar from 550 farmers for the VDA?s project. The proposed project was going to house educational and medical institutions, ashrams and a knowledge park.
?The city of Kashi is known for its ancient cultural heritage and attracts droves of tourists from all over the world. However, with the old city almost bursting at its seams and not being in a position to expand further to accommodate the growing population as well as tourists, it was only natural to grow outward. This was the reason for planning a cultural city along the Ganga on the Varanasi-Chandauli border, which would have museums, private universities and complexes promoting art,? said the VC of VDA, RP Goswami.
The notification under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, earmarking about 121 hectares of land in Katesar for the first phase of the project was done in June, 2010 and no compensation had been distributed so far, said the district magistrate.
However, one major difference between the Bhatta Parsaul and Chandauli land acquisition process is that while the land in western UP was being acquired to be sold off to private developers, the Chandauli project was to be implemented by the VDA for basic infrastructure development of a city which has far outgrown its ancient past and needs to expand before it becomes an urban disaster.
Farmers insist that they are not agitating over the rate of compensation but over the fact that they don?t know what to do once they are ousted from their fertile agricultural land and would rather end their lives on burning pyres if the process of land acquisition is not withdrawn. Sources in the state government, however say that there are no two ways about development and that the issue is being given political overtones by rival parties in view of the forthcoming elections.
?It is important not to thwart development by giving land owners compensation that would be acceptable to them,? said a state government official, adding that the present Land Acquisition Act is flawed and must be changed immediately.