NOIDA: A committee comprising officials from the three authorities in Gautam Budh Nagar has been formed to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP) for handling leaseback cases and shifting of farmers’ abadi plots.
The move is expected to eliminate the need for farmers to obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the district administration to become eligible for the process. Farmers have often complained that administrative officials delay approvals citing several reasons, which further prolongs the entire procedure.
The SOP is set to benefit hundreds of farmers, who have in the past staged a series of protests demanding leaseback of abadi plots.
It will facilitate the return of their abadi plots acquired by the authorities, mainly in Greater Noida and off Yamuna Expressway, for industrial development, or provide alternative residential land in exchange.
The proposal to form the committee was approved in a board meeting of the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) held on March 12.
While the YEIDA CEO is heading the committee, additional CEOs of Noida and Greater Noida authorities are appointed as its members. The SOP related to the leaseback will be presented in YEIDA’s next board meeting, slated to be held after Lok Sabha elections.
Officials said this would not only ease the disposal of over 2,700 cases of leaseback and shifting cases in Greater Noida and YEIDA areas, but also be helpful in dealing with any future cases in the three authorities.
Of the 2,700 cases, 2,300 are in Greater Noida alone, while 368 cases are pending under YEIDA. Additionally, there are 88 cases of abadi plot shifting in YEIDA.
For several years, local farmers have been demanding that the authority return their abadi land (used for keeping livestock or other residential purposes) which was acquired for industrial development.
As the acquired land needs to be handed over to farmers, a process of verification is carried out to ensure that the land is leased back to the rightful owner.
Under this process, signatures of police and district administration officials concerned are required. According to sources, while police readily sign the documents, administrative officials often avoid this. With the new SOP in place, Authority officials will at their own level look into individual cases and take action accordingly.
