Latest News | Farmers in Bathinda Village Protest Land Compensation for Expressway Project, Scuffle with Police
Get latest articles and stories on Latest News at LatestLY. Tension prevailed in a village in Bathinda on Friday after a scuffle broke out between a group of farmers and police during a protest over compensation for land acquired for the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway project, resulting in injuries on both sides.
Chandigarh, Nov 22 (PTI) Tension prevailed in a village in Bathinda on Friday after a scuffle broke out between a group of farmers and police during a protest over compensation for land acquired for the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway project, resulting in injuries on both sides.
Police said five to six personnel were injured as farmers allegedly pelted stones and attacked them with sticks, prompting them to use teargas and batons to bring the situation under control.
The protesting farmers in Dunewala village claimed some of them also suffered injuries in the incident.
The incident occurred after the Bathinda district administration took possession of a piece of land covering over 8 kilometres in Dunewala as well as two more villages in the district under the Bharatmala road project and handed it over to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
Officials said the land is part of the Jamnagar-Amritsar expressway and a nearly 62-km stretch of this passes through Bathinda district.
They said that barring a few cases under dispute at the landowners' end, of the total compensation award of Rs 731 crore for the acquired land, nearly Rs 693 crore has already been disbursed and accepted by the farmers, but some of them are now demanding that they should be given Rs 10-15 lakh more per acre.
The officials alleged that protesting farmers were trying to reclaim possession of the land.
The farmers, who assembled in large numbers in Dunewala to oppose the administration's move to take over possession of the land for the highway project, claimed that a higher compensation had been given at some places and demanded that they too be given a higher amount.
The officials, however, said that while the rate was Rs 50 lakh per acre in some villages, the acquisition rate was slightly higher in those where the land ran very close to the national highway project.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Bathinda, H S Bhullar told reporters at the protest site that some farmers from neighbouring districts had gathered at the site.
"We have handed over possession of the land to the NHAI. Farmers from other districts are trying to take the law into their hands, but they won't be allowed to create any disturbance," he added.
He said police and administration were trying to persuade the protesters not to create disturbance.
Asked why teargas shells were lobbed, the DIG said, "Stones were pelted at the police and they tried to attack us with lathis, after which we had to use teargas... Five to six policemen were injured and sent to hospital."
He said police were appealing to farmers not to take the law into their hands and hold talks with the administration.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)