Noida: Farmhouse owners say their properties are legal & not located on a floodplain

NOIDA: “Please don’t destroy us” — a handwritten flier pasted on the front gate of a farmhouse
in Sector 135 said on Thursday.
Another adopted a stern tone. “In spite of the status quo order passed by the HC… you have
deployed JCBs and full force to demolish the properties… The same shall amount to contempt
of court,” read a letter, addressed to Noida Authority CEO Ritu Maheshwari and pasted on the
gate of another farmhouse.
The notice was referring to the Allahabad high court’s direction to the Noida Authority issued
earlier this week to maintain status quo on the demolition drive in the Yamuna floodplain area for
the next 20 days. The area has seen five demolition drives since May 31, including three in
Sector 135 and the latest on Thursday morning. About 110 farmhouses have been razed.

After the HC’s order, the Harit Kisan Kalyan Samiti — a group of 53 farmhouse owners who filed
the petition in the HC — held a meeting at their club in Sector 135 to discuss the ruling and
decide their next course of action.
Owners of these lands maintain that their properties are legal and were registered with due
process. They also say that the farmhouses are not located on a “floodplain”, contrary to the
Authority’s declaration.
“There are several rulings of the Supreme Court, Delhi High court and Allahabad High court
defining the floodplain area. We are going through all of them and we’ve found that we are not in
the floodplain at all. We will submit our objections to the authority on the basis of these orders,”
said one of the owners and a member of the Samiti.
Another owner said they have not made “permanent stuctures” in the area and used a major
portion of their lands for farming.
“People go to the hills in search of nature, and we have done the same here, which should not
be wrong at all,” he said, on the condition of anonymity.
Others said they bought lands from farmers and have since helped create employment in the
area. Though there is no official figure, locals estimate there are around 2,000 to 3,000
farmhouses in the area.

“A large number of constructions have come up in the past three to four years, but a lot of them
are older. They are equipped with swimming pools and all sorts of luxurious items. During Covid,
many owners stayed here for months. Now they come here with their friends once in a while,”
said Sachin Kumar, a villager.