Farmers from villages in Manesar Saturday blocked both carriageways of NH48 at Pachgaon chowk, protesting against the proposed acquisition of 1,810 acres in three villages – Kasan, Kakrola and Sehrawan – for expansion of IMT Manesar. They also demanded they be paid due compensation for the land or their land be released.
Villagers said the land is being acquired by the government for expansion the Industrial Model Township in Manesar. On August 16, the state government is expected to announce the final award of compensation to the farmers.
In a statement, the district administration said that villagers held a meeting with officials on Saturday on the issue. “The villagers sought another meeting with the chief minister to discuss the matter and demanded that the date of award of compensation be postponed from August 16. ADC Vishram Kumar Meena assured the villagers that a meeting shall be arranged with the chief minister in a week, but the date of award of compensation has been fixed as per the legal process, and it is difficult to postpone it,” the statement read.
Hemlata, a protester from Kasan village, said, “The government has already acquired a large area for development of IMT Manesar. Villagers are making do with very little land. The government is not paying adequate or fair compensation for the land. The government is offering Rs 55 lakh per acre while the market value of land is much higher. Itne mein ek plot nhi aata (You cannot buy one plot in that amount in Gurgaon). This is injustice. Either we should be fairly compensated or our land should be released.”
Protesters said they would intensify the protest if the demands are not met.
In 2011, the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure (HSIIDC) had initiated the process to acquire land, but the matter was challenged in court. In 2020, the Punjab and Haryana government vacated the stay and the authorities restarted the process of acquisition.
The district administration said protesters were hauled into two buses and taken to Manesar police station and the traffic was cleared. They were later released in the evening. Among those detained was Haryana farm leader Gurnam Singh Charuni.
Meanwhile, traffic congestion was reported on the highway for over two hours as commuters going from Delhi to Jaipur and Jaipur to Delhi had to be diverted through alternate routes, leading to a tailback on the highway. Virender Singh Sangwan, DCP traffic, said, “Traffic was affected due to the protest. It was cleared in an hour.”
Charuni, said, “A total of 11 people were taken to the police station and detained. Everyone was later released. We held a meeting with district administration officials regarding the demands of the farmers.
