Bathinda, May 31
The much hyped project of laying Mumbai-Bathinda underground gas pipeline has been caught in a controversy. The GAIL authorities were in a piquant situation as the company contracted had camped here with a large of huge machines on Saturday but the farmers, in whose land the 100 feet wide pipe is supposed to be laid, are still not allowing the trenching work to start.
Among others, farmers nurse resentment over the fixation of the allegedly less compensation for using their agricultural land. The farmers have been demanding a compensation of Rs one crore per acre against the reportedly fixed price of Rs 10 lakh.
The controversy erupted on Saturday, when the company contracted was about to start trenching at Gillpatti village from the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) side. Before the engineers and labourers could start work, farmers of the village assembled and made them leave the place.
The protest gained momentum today, when the company officials again took a chance to start the work but the farmers from nearby villages, from where the pipeline would cross, assembled and started lodging a protest.
Surrounding the machines, they announced that work would be allowed only after the acceptance of their demand.
The hapless officials had to inform the police. Finding the farmers rigid over their demand for compensation, police called the executive magistrate, who listened to their grievances and assured of an amicable solution.
Executive magistrate Karnail Singh Bhullar said, “I tried to convince them that in the process, the company will not get the land transferred in its name and it will remain in the name of farmers in the revenue records. The compensation is paid to bar the farmers from doing any agricultural and construction activity on the land beneath which the pipe is laid.”
“Despite all negotiations, the farmers were firm over their demand. To resolve the issue, a meeting has been fixed with the DC, SSP and GAIL officials who will arrive here on Tuesday,” said Bhullar.
The much hyped project of laying Mumbai-Bathinda underground gas pipeline has been caught in a controversy. The GAIL authorities were in a piquant situation as the company contracted had camped here with a large of huge machines on Saturday but the farmers, in whose land the 100 feet wide pipe is supposed to be laid, are still not allowing the trenching work to start.
Among others, farmers nurse resentment over the fixation of the allegedly less compensation for using their agricultural land. The farmers have been demanding a compensation of Rs one crore per acre against the reportedly fixed price of Rs 10 lakh.
The controversy erupted on Saturday, when the company contracted was about to start trenching at Gillpatti village from the National Fertilizers Limited (NFL) side. Before the engineers and labourers could start work, farmers of the village assembled and made them leave the place.
The protest gained momentum today, when the company officials again took a chance to start the work but the farmers from nearby villages, from where the pipeline would cross, assembled and started lodging a protest.
Surrounding the machines, they announced that work would be allowed only after the acceptance of their demand.
The hapless officials had to inform the police. Finding the farmers rigid over their demand for compensation, police called the executive magistrate, who listened to their grievances and assured of an amicable solution.
Executive magistrate Karnail Singh Bhullar said, “I tried to convince them that in the process, the company will not get the land transferred in its name and it will remain in the name of farmers in the revenue records. The compensation is paid to bar the farmers from doing any agricultural and construction activity on the land beneath which the pipe is laid.”
“Despite all negotiations, the farmers were firm over their demand. To resolve the issue, a meeting has been fixed with the DC, SSP and GAIL officials who will arrive here on Tuesday,” said Bhullar.
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