Farmers give 7-day ultimatum as march to Delhi stopped

Farmers from different parts of Uttar Pradesh demanding adequate compensation for their lands acquired by the government marched towards Delhi on Monday but were stopped at the Noida-Delhi border where they sat on a dharna.

The farmers said if their demands were not met within seven days, they would again march towards Delhi.

Raising slogans of 'Bol Kisan, Halla Bol', the protesting farmers gathered at the Mahamaya flyover on the Dadri-Noida link road and began their 'Delhi Chalo' march around 11:30 am.

Massive traffic snarls caused inconvenience to commuters crossing the Delhi-Noida borders as police set up multiple layers of barricades and deployed heavy security to stop the march, which coincided with Parliament's Winter Session.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic was witnessed at Noida's Chilla border for several hours as the protesters, waving banners and flags of various farmer groups, crossed the initial barricades.

They were finally stopped near Dalit Prerna Sthal, around a kilometre from the Chilla border, an entry point to Delhi, where senior police officers tried to pacify them.

Traffic on the stretch resumed around 6 pm after the protesting farmers gave a week's time to fulfil their various demands, including the payment of land acquisition dues, as mandated by the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.

In a statement, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) -- an umbrella organisation of 12 farmers' bodies -- said the farmers had decided to stay at Dalit Prerana Sthal for the time being following assurances from the authorities that the chief secretary would meet to 'discuss and settle their demands'.

It said the agitation would continue till their demands were met.

'The Yogi Adityanath government has failed to ensure justice to the farmers. The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Uttar Pradesh government has not revised the land circle rate since 2017 and landowners have been denied adequate, lawful compensation and other benefits assured by the Land Acquisition Act, 2013,' it said.

Shashikant, a member of the SKM's national executive, told PTI that the protest was organised under the aegis of the SKM's Gautam Buddh Nagar unit.

According to the Bharatiya Kisan Parishad, farmers from 20 districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Aligarh and Agra, took part in the march.

The Bharatiya Kisan Union's Agra district unit chief Rajveer Lawania said, "We are on alert. Some farmers from the Agra division were part of Monday's protest in Noida. If needed, more will join the stir."

"As of now barely, 100-odd farmers from Agra division took part in the protest but the numbers can increase if the demand for allocation of 10 per cent developed plots for farmers displaced by land acquisition, along with employment benefits and rehabilitation for children of landless farmers, are not met."

Naresh Chaudhry, head of the Kisan Union Samyukt Morcha's Amroha unit, told PTI on the phone from Delhi that the government was not paying the correct price for their lands. "We are demanding that the anomaly be corrected."

Chaudhry, who was part of Monday's stir, added that members of the Kisan Union Samyukt Morcha's Amroha unit had returned after participating in the agitation.

Meanwhile, the SKM said in a release that it would hold protests all over Uttar Pradesh against 'privatisation of electricity' on Wednesday.

Due to the march and checking by police, commuters travelling via Chilla border, DND flyway, Delhi Gate and Kalindi Kunj faced heavy traffic for hours.

Greater Noida resident Aprajita Singh said the barricades caused major inconvenience.

"It took me about an hour to get through that stretch. The police set up barricades on both sides of the Delhi-Noida border, causing significant traffic congestion, especially on the carriageway from Noida to Delhi," she said.

Amit Thakur of Noida said he ditched his car due to the heavy traffic and took the metro to work.

A senior Delhi Police officer said checking was conducted at the border points and drones were used for surveillance.

Joint Commissioner of Police (Southern Range) SK Jain said the Delhi Police coordinated with its Noida counterpart.

"Since Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita is imposed in the New Delhi area and Parliament is in session, protests without permission are strictly prohibited," he said.

"We have increased security at both borders. Proper barricades, jersey barriers and hydra cranes have been deployed. We will stop those who will try to forcibly enter the city," he added.

A group of farmers from Punjab, led by Samyukta Kisan Morcha (non-political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM), has called for a march towards Delhi on December 6.

The group has been camping at Shambhu and Khanauri border points between Punjab and Haryana since February 13.