Cong, Samajwadi MLAs stage walkouts from UP Assembly

Lucknow, Feb 14 (PTI) Congress and SP legislatorstoday staged walkouts from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly accusingthe Mayawati government of not complying with the agreementbetween farmers and district administration in Allabahad.

The matter was raised in the ''zero hour'' through anadjournment notice by Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leaderPramod Tiwari, who said that an agreement was reached betweenthe district administration and farmers after a clash onJanuary 21 in Karchana (Allahabad).

"The agreement is not followed at all... The farmersshould get the due compensation and one Gulab Vishwakarma whowas killed in the police firing should also be given duecompensation," Tiwari demanded and sought to know the statusof agreement signed by the then Allahabad district magistrate.

On February 5, similar incident took place in Bara(Allahabad) demanding that those displaced should berehabilitated and given due compensation, he said.

In his reply, state parliamentary affairs ministerLalji Verma said that in Karchana of the total 515 hectareland acquired for the power project, compensation of 500hectares had been disbursed to farmers and the money ofremaining 15 hectare was not taken by them.

"The farmers are paid 1.5 to two times more than theexisting circle rate of the area. The compensation was givenon January 2009 rates, when the project kick-started. Thecompensation was given as by the rehabilitation policy ofthe Centre," he said.

About Vishwakarma who was killed on January 21agitation, Verma denied the allegations and said that he wasill and died when he was stuck in traffic jam caused due toagitation while being taken to the hospital.

Over 500 persons destroyed vehicles and otherestablishment at JP Group''s Bara power plant and an FIR inthis regard had been registered in Shankargarh police station,Verma said.

Unsatisfied with the answer, the SP members staged awalk out raising slogans against the "corrupt" BSP government.

Later, Congress faction led by Tiwari too staged a walkoutstating that he was not getting the answer about the status ofagreement between farmers and local administration.

Earlier, Energy Minister Ramveer Upadhyay informed theHouse that state government had made power projects of 3,980MW in the present five-year plan.

He was replying to a question raised by SP memberJokhu Lal Yadav in question hour. On being asked about thestatus of power schemes launched in SP regime by its leaderAmbika Chowdhury, the minister said that all the schemes wereexecuted in BSP regime.

SP members, then, staged a walkout after heatedexchange of words.