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Ferozepur, June 10 (PTI): A group of farmers on Wednesday occupied a portion of National Highway-5 and sowed paddy after dumping soil on the road in front of the Ferozshah toll plaza, claiming that no compensation was paid for the land that belonged to one of the protesters and his brother.

The move was part of their protest against the concerned authorities, as one of the farmers, Gursewak Singh, claimed that the portion of the land where the toll plaza stood belonged to him and his brother Satnam Singh.

Gursewak alleged that when the land was acquired for the national highway project in 2019, more than 3 kanals of land was “forcibly” occupied beyond the acquired area, but no compensation was paid to them for the excess land.

He said that while compensation was released for the land officially acquired, the actual area occupied was larger than what was reflected in the land records.

He also claimed that a fresh demarcation was subsequently carried out by the revenue officials of the area, which confirmed their claim regarding the excess land.

“I have been running from pillar to post for the past eight years in pursuit of justice with no tangible outcome. I knocked every possible door and met the district officials but in vain. I was left with no option but to take this course of action,” Gursewak said.

Paddy was sown only on a small portion of the “disputed” land as a mark of protest, he added.

“However, if my grievance remains unaddressed, I would cultivate paddy on the entire stretch of 3 kanals and 12 marlas, which rightfully belongs to my family,” Gursewak said.

He also alleged that officials of the Public Works Department and the National Highway Authority of India only exchanged correspondence instead of resolving the issue.

“We met senior officials last week and were assured that the matter would be resolved within a week. However, with no progress on the ground, I was compelled to intensify the protest and take help from the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan),” Gursewak said, adding that he will continue his protest till the time he gets compensation for the excess land.

Later, revenue officials reached the site and pacified the farmers following which the protest was lifted. PTI COR CHS ARI ARI

(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)