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The Noida Authority had sent a team with bulldozers to clear encroachments on its land in Wajidpur. The team bulldozed around 10 rooms, constructed by a businessman for his food-processing unit, and two houses.
Villagers pelted stones at the policemen accompanying the Noida Authority team. “The police beat us with lathis and opened fire but luckily no one was hurt. Two of our houses were demolished by the authority. The authority is trying to acquire even residential areas in Noida,” alleged a villager.
Contradicting such claims, Ashok Tripathi, SP (City), Noida said that the villagers pelted stones, forcing the policemen to run for cover near a drain. “We reached the site with more personnel and the PAC,” added Tripathi.
S K Patra, owner of a food processing unit and cold storage in the outskirts of the village near Pushta, first alerted the villagers when he saw the authority officials destroying their buildings.
“I had built 10 rooms in the cold storage for farmers to store their crops. I have registration details of this land which is in the name of villagers,” he alleged.
Patra added that the villagers were ready to spare 45 metres of land from the flood zone which the authority needs, but the police refused to pay heed and attacked them.
The authority officials, meanwhile, have refused approve any construction near the Pushta. “We have not approved any construction near the Pushta. The land was meant for constructing a road which will join the Expressway. The plan is to build a road before the bidding process for farm houses starts,” said a senior officer at the authority. The Authority has halted its demolition drive till tomorrow. “We are in talks with villagers and senior authorities,” said an officer.
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