Lucknow: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi was in Lucknow on Tuesday to meet officers of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and demand a re-evaluation of the compensation given to farmers.
NHAI Regional Officer Rajiv Agrawal assured Rahul that the re-evaluation of the project would be done soon. The project director will also review the compensation, that too within three days.
Rahul handed over the memorandum to NHAI officials with UPCC chief Raj Babbar in tow. About 800 farmers are affected by land acquisition.
The leader has alleged that farmers' land in the Kathaura village of Sultanpur, Jagdishpur is being acquired without adequate compensation. Also, that houses of farmers were being bulldozed without any notice in Ambedkar Nagar.
Work on widening NH-56 at Kathora Gram Sabha in Amethi's Jagdishpur block started a year ago. Three days ago, locals allege, NHAI began demolishing houses and shops in the area without compensating the affected farmers.
According to local Congress leaders, the farmers had already given land for widening the highway. However, NHAI was also constructing a bylane for parking trucks on both sides of the road in an area of around 200 m in Kathora, affecting about 100 families.
Rahul asked NHAI officials to adopt proper procedures to compensate those affected or shift the bylane.
Earlier, Congress President Raj Babbar, who reached Ambedkar Nagar, held a protest in favour of farmers. On Monday, after the assurances of the administration, Babbar had called off his protest. Babbar also said that if a farmer wants to file a case in the High Court, Supreme Court or District Court for their right, then in that case Congress will arrange a lawyer for them.
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