Rehabilitation scheme for Jewar airport’s phase 2 finalised

The district administration has finalised the rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) scheme for the farmer families who will be displaced by the land acquisition for the second phase of the Noida international greenfield airport being developed in Jewar.

The R&R scheme has been approved by the Meerut zone commissioner on March 13 and has now been sent to the state for issuing notification under Section 19, inviting objections.

The administration will be acquiring 1,182 hectares of land from six villages for the second phase. This includes about 158 hectares from Karauli Bangar, 148 hectares from Dayanatpur, 307 hectares from Kureb, 462 hectares from Ranhera, 48 hectares from Mudrah and 57 hectares from Birampur.

According to the survey done for preparing the R&R scheme, there are a total of 19,961 project affected families (PAFs) including 37,025 individuals in the six villages. Of them, 10,648 families have some form of an occupation, trade or labour work. However, not all of these families will be displaced. As per the land requirement, 12,803 families will be rehabilitated from Ranhera, Kureb and Karauli Bangar.

Officials said apart from the compensation and land that will be given as per the Land Acquisition Act, the team has also included some additional facilities after taking lessons from the rehabilitation of farmers in the first phase of the airport.

“This time, we will have an extensive vendor zone and allot space to small traders whose shops, clinics or other establishments will be acquired. Unlike the first phase, Ranhera village currently has a big market area which will be acquired. Additionally, we have added space for a waste processing unit and a grievance redressal office at the resettlement site for the convenience of farmers,” said Balram Singh, additional district magistrate, land acquisition.

He said unlike phase 1, when 1,334 hectares was acquired, more than the required amount of land is being earmarked for R&R to address any concerns that may arise in the future. A total of 206 hectares have been identified – 132.12 hectares near Faleda exit and 74.64 hectares in Modelpur, officials said. This is double the area from where people will need to be displaced.

Another difference from the first phase is that space has also been earmarked against private institutions whose land is being acquired.

“Earlier, we had just marked space for a government school and college. However, this time, if there are private schools or inter college from which land will be acquired, we have earmarked space that will be allotted to them,” said Singh.

Officials said efforts are being made to replicate the existing social structure of villages at the new location. Officials added that the survey has been done in a manner that the social bond remains intact. The allotment will also be done in such a way that those who lived next to each other still remain neighbours at the new place. Not just that, shops and other amenities would be placed and maintained just as they were wherever possible.

As per the survey for R&R, of the 37,025 affected people, 61% are from OBC [other backward classes], 27% are general category, 11% are from SC [Scheduled Caste] and about 1% who have not mentioned their caste.

“We have sent the final scheme to the state and are awaiting a clearance so that further directions can be issued under section 19 of the Land Acquisition Act. We are hoping that there would be no objections to the scheme as several new facilities have been added for the benefit of displaced farmers,” said district magistrate Manish Verma.

Similar to the facilities developed for the first phase, the resettlement area will also have facilities like commercial areas, markets, post office, school, hospital, police station and fire station, among others. Officials said the final layout will be prepared after the physical census of the area along with ground measurements next month.