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But that’s just first round for the family — Satpal hopes to make a killing with the remaining over 10 acres. And his is hardly the only family that has milked the cash cow — selling land to developers for residential, commercial, IT and SEZ projects. The sedans and the mansions dotting either side of the dusty road are a constant reminder.
“More than 85 per cent of land in the village has been sold to private developers,” Satpal says. The asking price, he says, began at Rs 2.5 crore. Result: in two years since the developers eyed the village, it has more than its fair share of millionaires.
For Dharamvir, a farmer of Ghata village, his new Ford Endeavour and a plot in Sushant Lok are some of the bounties received after selling his agricultural land. He and his farmer-turned-millionaire friends now sit outside the under-construction house to discuss politics by a bonfire.
Besides Ullawas and Ghata villages, it’s been a fast journey to riches for farmers in nearby Badshahpur (where a farmer told his son to get the entire Honda lineup after selling his land), Behrampur, Kadarpur, Kherki Dhaula and Tigra villages of Gurgaon and Sohana tehsils. Though no one is willing to quote the exact killing, some farmers are reported to have made over Rs 100 crore in the last few years.
The party’s on
For Gurgaon farmers, the party has just begun. The new Gurgaon masterplan, approved in February 2007, has brought 3.8 times more area into the affluent Gurgaon belt. Residential areas now account for around 15,000 acres (number of sectors now up to 115 from 57), and commercial zones for 3,500 acres. All major real estate players such as DLF, Unitech, Pioneer Urban Land & Infrastructure, Vatika, Raheja, Vipul, Emaar-MGF and Ambience group are creating land banks in the newly demarcated areas.
The fallout: guns & crime
“The number of people applying for firearm licence in the district has multiplied in recent years due to growing prosperity,” Gurgaon District Commissioner Rakesh Gupta says. “Guns have become both a status symbol and necessity.”
Gupta says the district administration has written to the police — “they should be selective and recommend a case for granting licence only where a security threat exists.”
The police, too, are on their toes. “Gurgaon has a huge floating population due to the hectic construction activity,” Joint Commissioner of Police Manjit Singh Ahlawat says. “The newfound affluence among farmers has added to our worries. We also have to watch out for the results once the spending power of those selling land diminishes in a few years.”
The recent shootout in a school was just a gory reminder, perhaps. The golden harvest could turn sordid. In no time flat.
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