Bathinda Chaos: Farmers and Police Face Off in Tense Standoff

Bathinda(The Uttam Hindu): Farmers in Kot Shamir village of Bathinda have launched a protest demanding fair compensation for land acquired under the Central Government's Bharatmala Project.The police responded by deploying a large number of policewith this, the farmers clashed with the policeman as several farmers were arrested. This is precisely what happened in Mansa where the police had to resorted to firing tear gas shells on the protesting demonstrators.

Demand for Compensation

The farmers are demanding compensation from the government, stating that the amount they received for their land was very low. However, the District Commissioner of Bathinda is on the point that the compensation provided was based on the compensation assessment of the land. The farmer demanded Rs 70 lakh per acre whereas the government already paid them Rs 47 lakh per acre.

About Bharatmala Programme

The Bharatmala Project is the initiative to focus on highway development concerning connectivity improvement for borders and international routes. It consists of highway construction, port improvement, and national corridors expansion.

Reasons for the Dispute

National Highways Authority of India is developing the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway, a 669 km stretch of road, in multiple phases. The expressway would connect to Jammu and Katra. However, across various regions of Punjab, land acquisition issues are a point of contention and farmers have continued to protest for proper compensation.