Farmers seek award under new acquisition Bill

  • 07/10/2013

  • Tribune (New Delhi)

Demanding a copy of the report of the one-man Justice Iqbal Singh inquiry commission submitted to the Haryana Government on the Rewari violence over land acquisition in July last year, the Bhoomi Adhigrahan Virodh Samiti, Rewari, today also sought the withdrawal of criminal cases registered against villagers. The samiti made this demand before a committee headed by Industries Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala to resolve the land acquisition issues in Rewari. Sources said the samiti had also rejected the award for land acquisition under the existing provisions, proposing that the award must be given as per the new Land acquisition Bill. “The demand for withdrawal of criminal cases and compensation as per the new legislation have already been conveyed to the government at today’s meetings,” a member of the samiti delegation said. Sources said the committee would now ask the Home Department to provide the report to the samiti. The Inquiry Commission had in its report said that the protest against land acquisition proceedings in Rewari where a farmer-police clash left many injured was the handiwork of “outsiders with vested interests”. They had mingled with farmers and ignited passions, leading to blocking of the highway and policemen being held hostage. Suggesting that the government should consider dropping the cases registered against farmers, the report also recommended medical compensation to the farmers and policemen. The commission had suggested that the Deputy Commissioner should be made overall in charge of the district as far as law and order was concerned. The government should go ahead with its plan for an industrial project on the land, it recommended in the report.