Lucknow: The Lucknow district administration has deferred the land reclamation drive for the expansion of Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport (CCSIA) until Oct 15 following protest by farmers from Rahimabad and Mohammadpur Bhakti Kheda villages on Monday. An administrative team accompanied by a PAC company had reached the two villages to erect a boundary wall on the farmland but postponed it after farmers claimed that the matter pertaining to the said land was pending before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.
SDM Sarojininagar Sachin Kumar Verma, who persuaded the farmers to call off the protest, told TOI they will resume the drive after Oct 15.
A source in the administration, requesting not to be named, said, “Around 400 acres of land has to be reclaimed for the airport expansion in a phase-wise manner. The land belongs to the airport for the past 70 years. Even the high court has given the order in administration’s favour to take possession of the land. Whatever issues some farmers have will be addressed soon. A survey will be done to compensate the farmers whose crops are ready on the land in question.”
Harish Chandra Yadav, principal petitioner against the administration’s land reclamation drive, said the reclamation drive was illegal and added that they will approach the Supreme Court for a stay if needed.
In 1943, the British govt had acquired 15.55 acre of Rahimabad land for Rs 357 per acre and compensated villagers by paying Rs 5552. Later, the defence estate department handed over the land to construct the airstrip, Yadav said.
“In 1949 to expand the airstrip, the state govt compensated farmers for additional 183 acre land by paying Rs 3 per acre for standing crop, but they never acquired the land. Till date, the physical land is in possession of farmers. Now the administration wants to reclaim 271 acre instead of 183 acre land on which the villagers have been farming and residing without anyone’s interference,” he added.
