SP team to visit Greater Noida today

Lucknow, Aug 14 (UNI) A five-member team, all MPs of the Samajwadi Party (SP) would today visit Greater Noida to express their sympathy towards the bereaved families of the farmers, who were killed in yesterday's clash with the police.

Uttar Pradesh SP acting president Shivpal Singh Yadav said the MPs team comprised Ramji Lal Suman, Uday Pratap Singh, Baleshwar Yadav, Kamal Akhtar and Rajendra Bari.

The team would meet the family members of the deceased farmers' and probe into the police firing upon the innocent farmers, he informed.

Condemning yesterday's police action, Mr Yadav said that the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government tried to crush the voice of the farmers when they were demanding hiked compensation for the acquired land peacefully. The party considers it ''undemocratic,'' he added.

Yesterday, SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav had demanded an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the kins of the deceased.

According to the reports, the farmers police clash had left two PAC jawans and three farmers dead and at least 15 policemen and 45 farmers grievously wounded.

The Uttar Pradesh government had ruled out any increase in compensation to the farmers last evening and cautioned them of dire consequences, if they took law in their hands.

Briefing the media over the incident, the principal secretary to Chief Minister Mayawati, Vijay Shankar Pandey, said that the farmers of Ghori Bajhera and nearby villages would continue to get compensation at the rate of Rs 402 per square metre as decided in the year 2006.

He, on behalf of the government, had dismissed the farmers' demand of hike in compensation at the rate of Rs 850 per square metre as per the prevailing rate. As per the agreement, the farmers were given compensation for the acquired land in 2006, he added.

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