NOIDA: Bhatta and Parsaul are 20km from Noida International Airport. When land acquisition targets were being set for the project, this wasn’t a comforting thought.In May 2011, during the BSP regime, the two Gautam Budh Nagar district villages were at the epicentre of violent protests over land acquisition — farmers were unwilling to give away land for industrial and infrastructure projects, alleging inadequate compensation and coercive methods. Clashes broke out between villagers and police, in which four people were killed and 66 were injured.After this came a long legal battle, which led to the Allahabad high court and Supreme Court approving 64.7% additional compensation for farmers.So when govt set out to acquire nearly 5,000 hectares of land for a greenfield project in Jewar, there were apprehensions. But the Jewar experience proved nothing like 2011. Saurabh Sharma, a resident of Banwaripur village whose family gave 10 acres of land for the airport project in 2019, said, “There are reasons why people in Jewar gave land while people in Bhatta-Parsaul did not. Right now, BJP is in office and their functionaries have a strong hold on the area. They are well connected with locals. The second reason is caste — most people in the Jewar area are Thakur and Brahmin, forming the core voter group for BJP. In addition to this, locals believed the airport will bring development to the area, So, they agreed to part with land,” he said.Jewar BJP MLA Dhirendra Singh played a key role in the initial stages, helping persuade farmers. “In the assembly, after the 2017 election, I proposed that if an international airport is developed in Jewar, it will bring development and job creation in the area,” he said. BJP had promised creation of 10 lakh jobs before the assembly polls.At that time, the state govt was also considering developing an international airport near Agra, given its status as a major tourist destination. The Jewar proposal had been around for years, but no one had really moved on it. Singh said he spoke to chief minister Yogi Adityanath about the proposal. “The chief minister pointed out that Jewar is close to Bhatta-Parsaul, which had seen violence during the 2011 land acquisition agitation,” he said.Singh said he assured the CM that he would convince farmers. The ministry of civil aviation granted site clearance for Noida International Airport on July 6, 2017, after which the state govt began securing necessary no-objection certificates (NOCs).However, by 2018, concerns had emerged that resistance from local farmers could derail the project. That’s when a major outreach began involving govt officers and local politicians. Singh said he visited villages like Rohi, Parohi, Kishorpur, Banwaribas, Ranhera, Ramner, Mukimpur Shiwara and Dayanatpur, and camped there. “People had concerns about their homes, religious structures, like temples and mosques, rehabilitation and compensation. We explained the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) policy in detail, and gradually they agreed to give consent,” he added.A minimum 70% consent is required for land acquisition. The administration secured 72% consent by Sept 2018, which later rose to 95%. The state govt declared the area urban, making landowners eligible for two times enhanced compensation. With the prevailing circle rate at Rs 900 per square metre, compensation was initially set at Rs 1,800 per sqm, which was later increased to Rs 2,100 per sqm following intervention by the CM.Former district magistrate BN Singh, who handled land acquisition in the first phase, said it was particularly sensitive given the history of Bhatta-Parsaul, where earlier agitations had led to the evolution of stricter land laws. He also visited Kishorpur, Roh, and other villages, interacted with the farmers, and shared govt updates with them.“All stakeholders, particularly farmers, supported the project,” he said.He added that while rural people may not always be fully aware of legal provisions, their concerns must be addressed sincerely. “Legal or procedural contradictions in large projects must be avoided, as these can trigger disputes later. If rules are implemented properly and stakeholders are treated fairly, they extend support,” he said.BN Singh said the project saw support across communities. Ibrahim, a resident of Nangla Sharif Khan village, said his joint family gave nearly 70 acres of land for the airport. “Some of these lands were barren and yielded no results. Govt was also giving good compensation, so we agreed,” he said.Govt acquired 1,334 hectares of land in the first phase and 1,365 hectares in the second phase, while 2,053 hectares are slated to be acquired across the third and fourth phases. Land rates were fixed at Rs 2,100 per sqm in the first phase and Rs 3,100 per sqm in the second phase. For the remaining phases, the rate has been revised to Rs 4,300 per sqm.
