PIL filed in Noida farmland allotment issue

Alleging irregularities in allotment of land for farmhouses in Noida, a PIL was on Tuesday filed in the Allahabad High Court seeking an inquiry into the deals.

The public interest litigation filed by former minister and BJP leader Nawab Singh Nagar before the Lucknow bench alleged that the state government and Noida Authority acquired more than 54 hectares of land in the name of development, but later allotted it to 64 companies for farmhouses.

Claiming a loss of Rs 1200 crore to the state exchequer, the petitioner also sought direction to cancel the land acquisition and returning it back to the farmers.

The petitioner alleged that while the land was acquired in 2009-10 in Greater Noida at the rate of 888 per square metre, it was later allotted to unknown and suspicious" companies at the 3,500 per square metre against the market rate ranging between 20,000 to 25000 per sq meter.
The petition is likely to come up for hearing on July 14.