NOIDA: At a time farmers have intensified their protests demanding 10% abadi plots, the Allahabad high court has issued a show-cause notice to the chief executive officer of Greater Noida Authority for failing to implement its earlier order regarding the allotment of developed land.
“The CEO, Greater Noida, to show cause as to why the undertaking given by him and as recorded in the order dated Feb 19, 2024, in a previous case has not been followed resulting in individuals approaching this court by separate petitions for the same relief,” the bench of Justices Manoj Kumar Gupta and Anish Kumar Gupta said on Nov 28.
It was in 2008 that the Authority decided to allot 6% developed land to villagers from whom plots were acquired for various development projects. Although 16 years have passed since the policy was announced, its implementation hasn’t seen much progress — leading to a pileup of cases by farmers in court.
In Dec last year, the court heard a petition from a landowner, who sought a directive to the Authority to implement the policy. As the number of similar petitions began to surge, the court asked the Authority to list such pending allotments and outline its plan to address them.
In Feb this year, the Authority informed the court about plans to engage technical experts for a comprehensive land survey. The exercise aimed at identifying plots and facilitating allotments to eligible villagers over the next six months. Despite the assurance, allotments were not made in multiple cases, prompting eligible beneficiaries to move court.
Last month, a group of villagers filed a petition seeking the allotment of 6% abadi plots under the Authority’s policy.
Some farmers’ organisations also escalated protests, demanding 10% developed plots for land acquired from them earlier. Currently, the land compensation for Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway authorities is set at 5%, 6%, and 7% abadi plots, respectively.
In Aug this year, a high-level committee headed by the revenue board chairperson submitted a report, rejecting the plan for 10% abadi plots on legal and technical grounds.
In the wake of recent protests, the state govt formed a four-member committee on Dec 3 to review the implementation of the earlier committee’s recommendations and address any remaining concerns.
The court, after hearing all the parties, scheduled the next date for hearing for Dec 10.
