Farmers from 81 villages clash with police during protest over land, rehabilitation issues in Noida

Noida: Farmers from 81 villages held a Mahapanchayat and staged a massive protest outside the Noida Authority office on Monday, demanding resolution of long-pending land acquisition and rehabilitation issues.

The demonstration turned tense when a group of protesters tried to enter the premises, leading to clashes with security personnel, IANS reported.

Hundreds of farmers gathered outside the office early in the morning of November 3, many wearing green turbans and waving union flags. Chanting slogans, they accused the authority of deliberately delaying compensation, rehabilitation, and plot allotment for land acquired over the years for various development projects.

Farmers claimed that despite repeated assurances and meetings, the authorities had failed to take meaningful action. “We’ve been given promises for years, but nothing has changed. This time, we won’t leave with empty assurances,” the news agency quoted one of the protesters as saying

Tensions rose during the Mahapanchayat when several farmers attempted to force open the main gate of the authority office. Security personnel stopped them with barricades, sparking a brief scuffle. Police deployed additional forces as a precaution, surrounding the protest site from both sides to prevent the situation from worsening.

Farmer leaders said the agitation was driven by delays in compensation, non-allotment of promised plots, and poor implementation of the rehabilitation and resettlement policy. They warned that if concrete steps are not taken by the government and the Noida Authority, the movement would expand across Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

The Mahapanchayat also decided to hold a strategic meeting of village representatives soon to plan the next phase of the agitation, including a possible statewide mobilisation.

Throughout the day, heavy police deployment and multiple barricades were in place on routes leading to the Noida Authority office, with heightened security in nearby sectors to maintain law and order.