In Dera Baba Nanak, work on track, farmers call off protest

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Dera Baba Nanak, March 20

The protest by farmers whose land is to be acquired by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) for the Kartarpur corridor project ended following an assurance of adequate compensation by the government.

Cabinet minister and Dera Baba Nanak MLA Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and SDM Gursimran Singh Dhillon, who has been designated as the Competent Authority for Land Acquisition (CALA) by the NHAI, have assured the farmers that “they will be adequately compensated and will not get a rupee less that the rate decided by the authorities”.

The work on the construction of the Integrated Check Post (ICP), spread over 50 acres, continued for the third day with JCB machines flattening the standing wheat crop.

Local farmers had yesterday tried to meet officials of the NHAI and the Land Ports Authority of India. Gurnam Singh of Pakhoke Taali Sahib village said they wanted the NHAI to treat them on a par with farmers whose land was taken over in 2015 for the Bathinda-Tarn Taran-Amritsar national highway project. “The farmers got anything between Rs 80 lakh and Rs 1 crore per acre. We should be paid a similar price,” he said.

Randhawa said farmers should understand that there were technicalities involved in awarding compensation at that rate. “I stand by the farmers, but they should not raise illogical demands,” he said.

Dhillon today met a delegation of farmers. “The exact rates will be finalised by Friday after which we will take possession of the land,” he said.

An official said, “Going by rules, the average rates of land sold in the last three years will be taken into consideration. A 100 per cent solatium, an amount given in compensation for inconvenience, will be added to the average rate. For example, if the average rate over three years is pegged at Rs 20 lakh per acre, an equal amount will be added as solatium. This means that the farmers will get Rs 40 lakh per acre.”