Agriculture land dug up for DME Phase 5, but not filled: Farmers

Ghaziabad: District magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mander on Monday conducted a site inspection in the Talheta village of Modinagar after local farmers complained they were not compensated for soil taken from their fields for the construction of the Delhi–Meerut Expressway's (DME) Phase 5 stretch.Phase 5 of the expressway is a nearly 15 km, four-lane connector project running from Zainuddinpur (in Hapur) to Jahidpur (in Rampur). It connects the main carriageway with the Meerut–Hapur Highway. The main 96 km expressway is already operational.During a recent public hearing, farmers in Talheta alleged the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) dug up earth from their agricultural land for project work on the expressway but neither refilled it nor gave them proper compensation.In Jan, farmers had staged a month-long protest over similar issues. They had called it off after assurances by local administrative officers. On Sunday, the protesters again staged a sit-in protest at the Talheta roundabout, reiterating their demands."We only want our land to be measured properly and payment to be made before any further possession," said a farmer on Monday.During the inspection, Mander said, "If soil was excavated, the farmers must be compensated as per rules. Measurement of the village land will be carried out in accordance with procedure." Soil-filling work at some areas was already under way around the time of the inspection.Mander also directed officials to ensure that due process is followed and any pending compensation issues are resolved without delay. Sub-divisional magistrate of Modinagar, Ajeet Singh, told TOI a contractor hired by the NHAI had done the excavation work. "The contractor has now been instructed to refill the land with soil wherever excavation was done within 60 days," he said.Farmers also highlighted that the absence of proper entry and exit points to the expressway was causing inconvenience while transporting produce. Farmer leader Kuldeep Tyagi accompanied the district magistrate on a motorcycle and showed him the connectivity from Modinagar via the Talheta–Kharkhauda road, explaining the difficulties faced by locals.Mander also reviewed the quality of the ongoing construction work in the village.