Issru: Punjab unit of Congress has
demanded compensation for the farmers of Mansa at prevailing
market rates, for the land acquired for the Gobindpura power
plant.
"The land holdings in Mansa, where the land had
been acquired, were quite small and the rate offered by the
government, Rs 23.77 lakh per acre was less than half of the
market price," Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President
Capt Amarinder Singh said.
He announced that he would lead his party`s morcha in support of the protesting farmers from September 2.
Addressing the party`s political conference on the
occasion of Independence Day here yesterday, Amarinder
supported the protesting farmers saying, the government had
robbed them of their precious possession.
The PCC president questioned the very motive of the
Akali-BJP government to acquire land for a private company
Indiabulls.
"What is more intriguing is that the government
handed over the land to Indiabulls without any competitive
bidding," he alleged.
The standard procedure for allotting a power project is
through competitive bidding and global tendering, he said.
"In this case they did everything clandestinely with a
company which has no experience of generating power," he
pointed out.
The former chief minister condemned the use of brute
force against the farmers who are not allowed to go to their
land.
On August 2, one farmer was killed and 15 others
sustained injuries as the police lathi-charged a large group
of farmers protesting against acquisition of land for setting
up 1350 MW thermal power plant at Gobindpura village in Mansa
district.
PTI
