Residents of the Greater Noida area have learned about significant support: a path has now opened for thousands of farmers whose lands were acquired or taken between 2002 and 2013 to receive an additional compensation of 64.7%, which they had previously not received. The Uttar Pradesh government has issued the relevant government order.
According to the Greater Noida Administration, this decision may benefit around 4500 farmers. It is estimated that the cost of paying this additional compensation to the affected farmers will exceed 500 million rupees. However, before making payments, the Administration will verify the farmers' compliance with the criteria and relevant records.
The Administration clarified that this concerns farmers who participated in the land acquisition or taking process between 2002 and 2013 and who were unable to receive the additional compensation of 64.7%. This includes farmers who could not approach the court for economic or other reasons. The new government order will allow these cases to be reviewed again.
In its proposal, the Greater Noida Administration referred to a well-known case from the Allahabad High Court—the case of 'Gajraj and others versus the State of Uttar Pradesh and others.' The Administration requested that the benefit in the form of additional compensation be provided to those farmers who did not receive it for any reason. Subsequently, Alok Kumar, Deputy Chief Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh government, gave permission for the Administration to act according to the rules and make the decision.
After receiving the government order, the Greater Noida Administration will begin verifying the cases of the concerned farmers. A list will be compiled based on eligibility criteria and applicable rules, after which the process of paying the additional compensation will commence. The Administration stated that once the directive comes into force, the concerned farmers will be able to receive an additional compensation of 64.7% on top of the initial compensation amount. For farmers who have long sought this demand, this is considered a significant relief.