A group of farmers in Haryana today called off their six-week-old protest following an assurance by state government that it would consider the "principle of equity" in deciding the quantum of compensation to them for the land acquired for the Kaithal-Titram bypass.
"The agitation in Kaithal on land compensation issue has been called off by the farmers today," Kaithal Deputy Commissioner K M Pandurang said.
Asked what proposal has been put forward before the farmers by the administration, the deputy commissioner said "they have been assured that they will be paid same amount (for their acquired land) as given to their nearby villages."
Notably, three days back the Haryana Assembly had witnessed noisy scenes on the issue with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assuring the House that the matter would be resolved soon.
Khattar's assurance had come in response to a call-attention notice regarding land acquisition for the Kaithal bypass on the National Highway-65.
The Chief Minister had said that the difference in the amount of the land compensation for farmers for different road projects in same area had occurred as some portion of land was acquired as per the 2014 Land Act while the other chunk was acquired as per the provisions of 2015 Land Act.
The land compensation could be enhanced and made uniform for all farmers as per the "principle of equity" for which there was provision in the 2015 Land Act, Khattar had said adding that barring the Kaithal-Titram bypass, there was no disagreement on the land acquired for other bypasses at Pehowa, Ismailabad and Kalayat.
The land owners of Kaithal-Titram had launched an indefinite agitation earlier demanding compensation at par with that of other three bypasses.
Opposition INLD and Congress had hit out at the BJP-led state government for the alleged discrimination in awarding compensation to the farmers for the road widening projects.
While farmers, whose land had been acquired Pehowa, Ismailabad and Kalayat Bypasses, had been awarded compensation to the tune of Rs 46 lakh per acre, the Kaithal farmers, whose 412 acres of land had been acquired for the Kaithal bypass had got a compensation of about Rs 27 lakh per acre.
