Heavy and menacing police deployment was used to forcibly evict 250 peasants/farmers from 120 hectares of their land for a sewage treatment plant (STP) in Chinhat, Lucknow. The standing crops were bulldozed and lands forcefully captured, and peasants who dared to protest were simply chased away. This incident has infuriated deeply the villagers of half a dozen villages in the area - Hasemau, Lolai, Bharwara, Kakkas, Chandiana, Lonapur, Bhaisora etc.
The villagers whose lands have been snatched are not against the STP, which would play a role in curbing the pollution caused by dumping of sewage in the Gomti river, but a joke is being played on them in the name of compensation for land. The prevailing market rate of the land is 40 lakhs rupees per bighas whereas the administration is adamant on offering only 4-5 lakhs: a pittance. They said that their families will be ruined if their land is taken away. So far only 3-4 absentee farmers have accepted the compensation: the rest have decided not to take compensation unless its basis is rational.
The UP State committee of CPI(ML) has condemned the move and demanded that acquisition be stopped immediately until the peasants who own the land are taken into full confidence and consultation.
