By Ananya Singh
Farmers in Rajasthan are staging an unusual protest, one that involves burying themselves in neck-deep pits. Nindar village, 20 kilometres from state-capital Jaipur is the home ground of the Zameen Samadhi Satyagraha, a demonstration led by farmers to oppose the acquisition of land by Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).
The land being acquired is meant for a residential project approved in 2010-11, with a proposed construction of 10,000 houses. Farmers claim to be victims of forced acquisition and are demanding better compensation for their land. The agitation began as a 14-day dharna with no significant results. Now it has progressed to 50 men and women buried neck-deep on the very land the JDA plans to build upon.
‘Forced’ land acquisition disturbs Nindar farmers
The protest is based on JDA’s plan to acquire 1,300 bighas of land for a housing scheme project announced six years ago. Almost 600 bighas have been obtained so far for the proposed project, 282 bighas of which were acquired from farmers. However, the farmers are far from satisfied with the compensation amount. They claim the local officials have acquired their land by force and are offering them insufficient compensation based on rates dating back to 2010.
According to Nagendra Singh Shekhawat, convenor of Nindar Bachao Yuva Kisan Samiti (NBYKS), the Zameen Samadhi Satyagraha began on 2 October to protest land acquisition that will affect nearly 5,000 families. Singh told Al-Jazeera, “We will continue with the agitation till our demand is met.”
Till date, 50 farmers have partially buried themselves, half of which are women. The men stand in individual neck-deep pits while women share pits dug in rows. The protest takes place on a ‘rotation basis’ where farmers emerge from the pits only to relieve themselves or for meals.
Farmers demand fair compensation
Farmers’ livelihoods are directly attached to the land they till. The rampant industrialisation taking over villages in the name of progress has displaced many families in India. The land they own is often the bare minimum, having been divided among generations of heirs. As such, the farmers are strongly opposed to the residential project that will deprive them of their only source of income.
The government, when acquiring private land for developmental projects is supposed to compensate individuals. Nindar villagers are demanding a fresh land survey that will take into account the current income of farmers, damage to their homes and the impact of land acquisition on them and their families.
The farmers are further demanding compensation as per the new Land Acquisition Act, 2013. The Act aims to avoid forcible acquisition by requiring the assent of 70% landowners when obtaining land for Public-Private Partnerships (PPP projects) and 80% when land is for private companies. Further, the Act stipulates a compensation of four times the market value in rural areas and twice the value in urban regions.
A major concern of the villagers is that JDA plans to compensate for acquired land by giving only 25% of the area obtained in another region.
Government’s response
While farmers stood under voluntary burial, the local authorities remained silent. The unique protest was staged solely to attract the local government’s attention to the issues causing farmers immense distress. While there has been no conclusive result, the authorities have held meetings with protesting leaders. However, this exchange came only post two women collapsed during the demonstration.
As reported by Times Of India, the Jaipur Development Commissioner, Vaibhav Galeriya accepted the farmer’s demand for a fresh land survey. A committee is to be instituted comprising JDA officials, the district collector as well as farmers of Nindar village for this purpose.
Many successive governments, both local and central have been accused of being indifferent to the escalating farmer crisis. Sukhram Bishnoi, Rajasthan state legislator accused the state government of being insensitive and told Al-Jazeera, “It is a pro-corporate government; it works for them. They do not care for the farmers.”
JDA’s response to the protests is to brand it a political game. Raj Kumar, JDA Deputy Commissioner said, “People who live in the 5-6 illegal colonies on the land, and not farmers, are protesting. Maximum 600 families are participating in the protests. Farmers, who are not even 5-10 percent of this agitation, are being misguided.”
While further talks are in the pipeline and a new land survey is slated to be conducted, Nindar villagers continue to stand neck-deep in pits, reiterating the one statement everyone seems to be ignoring, “We do not want to give up the land.”
Featured Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Stay updated with all the insights.
Navigate news, 1 email day.
Subscribe to Qrius
