Without consent, our land given to pvt contractor for storing sand: Growers

Farmers, under the banner of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), continued their dharna for the eighth consecutive day in Mustafabad village on Wednesday. The protesters alleged that the authorities had, without informing them, attempted to hand over their agricultural land to a private mining contractor for storing sand.

The growers claimed that nearly 24 acres of fertile land belonging to around 10 farmers was being taken without their consent or prior notice.

They fear that storing sand on their land would adversely affect soil fertility.

The protesters alleged that they were never informed or consulted before the land was allotted.

The district administration has fixed a lease amount of Rs 1 lakh per year for farmers to lease out land to sand contractors, but farmers are unwilling to do so.

“Our land is being forcibly taken from us for storing sand, which will adversely affect soil fertility. We do not want to give our land for this purpose, but authorities are allotting it to a mining contractor,” said Sumit Choudhary, a farmer.

Sumit added that this would pose a threat of accidents since several dumping vehicles would ply through the area — which, he noted, houses a government school and an Anganwadi centre.

He said the protesting farmers would approach the National Green Tribunal to save their land.

Pala Ram, another farmer, said they had been staging the dharna for the past eight days to protect their fields.

“We even protested at the district headquarters two days ago. Sand has already been dumped in several fields, destroying paddy nurseries,” he said.

The district administration has already said the process is within the legal framework. The land, in Mustafabad village, is part of the Dabarkipar mining block, allotted by the Mining Department under the Haryana Minor Mineral Concession, Stocking and Transportation of Minerals and Prevention of Illegal Mining Rules, 2012.