Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Jan 9: Hundreds of farmers from Jammu and Samba districts today held a massive protest demonstration against the Government for forcefully acquisition of land from Rai Morh to Jagti ring road. Click here to watch video
The protesters were demanding Rs 20 lakh per kanal as compensation for their land, besides rehabilitation policy for the affected farmers. They also demanded the Government to stop the process of acquisition of land till Land Acquisition Bill 2013 is implemented.
Raising slogans against the Government, the agitating farmers moved towards Civil Secretariat but a strong contingent of police stopped them near Jewel Chowk, where a clash erupted between agitating farmers and police, which later resorted to lathi-charge.
Various leaders of farmers including Kulbushan Khajuria, Tajinder Singh Wazir, Sarat Dubey, Om Parkash Khajuria, Kamal Singh and Choudhary Rehmat Ali were taken into preventive custody by the police.
Amid slogans, the protesting farmers criticized the State Government for paying a meager amount as compensation to the farmers for their land, which they said is a source of only income for them. They asked the Government to pay at least four times more compensation, as has been fixed, for their land or pay the actual cost of the land by implementing Government of India Land Acquisition Order for the welfare of public in general and farmers in particular.
“In the interest of poor and small farmers, J&K Government should take immediate decision in this regard and save the aggrieved poor farmers from starvation in future instead of evicting them from their land by paying meager amount of compensation”, said Tajinder Singh Wazir while addressing the protesting farmers.
Kulbhushan Khajuria said if some concrete measure is not taken by the Government in this regard, the small farmers will be forced to choose the path of committing suicide. He appealed the Government not to play such a cruel joke with the plight of the farmers.
Kissan leaders further said that if some positive steps are not taken for desired compensation at the rate of Rs 20 lakh per kanal of land, they will not allow construction of ‘Ring Road’ by any agency of the Government.
Later Rajeev Ranjan, DC Jammu, called a high level meeting with farmer leaders and assured redressal of all their genuine demands.
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