Key Points
- Farmers in Bathinda clashed with police over land compensation for the Bharatmala highway project.
- Protests were led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Upagraha, with farmers claiming unequal compensation amounts.
- Police used tear gas after farmers attacked them with sticks.
- The land acquisition is part of the Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway project under Bharatmala.
- Compensation varies: Rs 50 lakh for inner village land, Rs 70 lakh for land next to the highway.
- Both farmers and police were injured, with some needing hospital treatment.
Looma News
On Friday, farmers in Bathinda, Punjab, clashed with police over compensation for land taken under the Bharatmala project, which aims to improve highway infrastructure. The protests, led by the Bharatiya Kisan Union Ekta Upagraha, took place in Maisar Khana village. The farmers claimed they weren’t paid fairly for their land, which was used for the Amritsar-Jamnagar expressway. They were also upset about the differences in compensation amounts.
The situation escalated when a group of farmers from Sangrur broke through barricades and fought with the police in Dunewala village, also in Bathinda. The farmers, armed with sticks, attacked police officers, leading authorities to use tear gas to break up the crowds. The farmers had organized a convoy to protest the recent land acquisition for the Bharatmala project. The convoy was led by Joginder Singh Upagraha, president of the union.
A senior police officer said all farmers in Bathinda, whose land was acquired for the project, had already received compensation. The officer added that the protesters weren’t from Bathinda but other districts, and they were creating trouble. The officer suggested that any complaints about compensation should be dealt with through discussions, not protests. A district official confirmed that Rs 693 crore of the Rs 731 crore set aside for land acquisition had already been paid to farmers.
However, the farmers’ leaders argued that the compensation amounts depend on the location of the land. Land near the highway is being paid at a higher rate of Rs 70 lakh, while land in interior villages is only getting Rs 50 lakh. The district official explained that the difference is because of the land’s location and type. Despite this, farmers kept protesting, saying the uneven compensation was unfair.
The clashes led to injuries on both sides, with some people needing hospital treatment. The situation remains tense as both sides await a resolution on the compensation issue.
