<div>The Samajwadi Party may have opposed NDA’s proposed land bill tooth and nail at the Centre, but its government in Uttar Pradesh is turning a blind eye to a High Court order that quashes the acquisition of a stretch of land acquired near Allahabad for a power plant.</div><div> </div><div>Uttar Pradesh government authorities told <em>Businessworld </em>that “the due process (of law) was” on, but activists and farmers on the ground at Karchhana near Allahabad said that the state government was resorting to oppressive tactics, and even preventing social activists like Medha Patkar to meet with the aggrieved activists.</div><div> </div><div>The state government had acquired land for a power plant for at Karchana in 2007. However, no plant came up for nearly five years. The farmers, who were protesting the “forcible acquisition”, moved court and later the Allahabad High Court ordered that the land be returned to the farmers if they retuned the compensation amount.</div><div> </div><div>The farmers, in the meantime, wrote two letters – one to the state Governor and another to the PM. The letters said that since the farmers had been denied the opportunity to till their land for five years, they should be allowed to deduct the money which would have accrued to them through their farm produce in the last five years, from the compensation amount which they would return to the government. The Governor agreed with the farmers’ point. The PMO, however, passed on the letter to the CM, who passed it on to the DM, where the matter rests now.</div><div> </div><div>UP Government’s Principal Secretary, Information, Navneet Sehgal told<em> Businessworld</em> that “the due process of law was on at Karchhana, and that he would have to gather more details to answer more questions”. He, however, said that the land acquisition model in UP was far superior to those prevalent in other states, “because the government paid farmers four times the circle rate”.</div><div> </div><div>The National Alliance of People’s Movement’s Anshu Malviya, on the other hand, said that the local police had unleased a reign of terror in and around Karchhana, and on Sept 9, 42 people including 13 children – all from the project-affected families – were beaten up and put behind bars.</div><div> </div><div>When Medha Patkar wanted to hold a meeting with the aggrieved families there, she was denied the permission to visit the village. She along with 16 other activists, was arrested and later let off, on Saturday in Allahabad. The local administration later claimed that they had been detained so that a dialogue process can be initiated, said Malviya.</div><div> </div><div>Farmers have been protesting against three thermal power plants being constructed in the vicinity of Allahabad. These power plants, of 1320 MW each, at Karchana, Bara (both of Jaypee group) and Bara (of NTPC) impact more than 20 villages and some 5,000 families.</div><div> </div><div>The plants at Bara have come up, but nothing has come up at Karchana, leading to the Allahabad High Court’s intervention after the farmers petitioned the court. Farmers now allege that district authority is not complying with the court order, the administration claims that due process of law is being followed.</div><div> </div><div>Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has not spoken on the issue so far. In fact, no UP minister has spoken on the issue, though local SP representatives have condemned “police high-handedness”.</div><div> </div>
