GREATER NOIDA: About 300 residents of Salarpur village in Greater Noida’s Dankaur area have been protesting against Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida) near Salarpur underpass for over a fortnight to object an alleged acquisition of a piece of land that has disconnected their village from a main road.
Villagers, mostly farmers and labourers, want resolution of their issues which include the acquisition of their ancestral 66-feet wide land allegedly given to a builder for his housing project near Salarpur village, and an alleged misbehavior of some Yeida officials.
Yamuna authority officials, however, dismiss the allegations stating that the protesting villagers have vested interests.
According to locals, the authority’s planning department has allocated plots to a builder, built on their village’s “ancestral” route. The acquired portion is about 100-year-old and links Salarpur with Dankaur and further connects to Haryana.
Residents say they had raised the issue with Yeida and even requested the officials to suggest some alternative route in place of the existing one for the villagers.
“We have never stood in the way of development. But this time, they are taking away our 66 feet ancestral road and giving it to private developers. The officials threatened us with police action and behaved rudely when we asked for a fair resolution. We are left with no choice but to protest,” said Sunil Chauhan, a resident of Salarpur.
“The authorities ignored our request. All we ask is a fair solution that keeps our village connectivity (to the main road) intact, without losing our ancestral route,” said Ranbeer Thakur, another local participating in the protest.
Villagers have now made an appeal to the district administration, Gautam Budh Nagar, and, Laxmi Singh, the police commissioner, to take cognizance of their concerns.
Yamuna authority, meanwhile, dismissed villagers’ allegations, including claims of misconduct.
“Four roads have been already developed and are functional to ensure connectivity for Salarpur village and nearby areas. And, the acquired land lies between Greater Noida authority plots and the private builder project. The villagers, it seems, believe the builder has provided financial assistance to some locals for a settlement, which is baseless. The protests are motivated by a desire for financial gain”, said Shailendra Pratap, an officer on special duty (OSD), Yeida.
The villagers’ ancestral route lies between the Greater Noida authority plots and a builder project.
“Some residents from the same village had already agreed to the land being allocated for the builder’s housing project,” the officer added.
