UP govt forms panel to resolve Abadi land disputes with farmers

The Uttar Pradesh government has directed a committee to resolve Abadi land (well-inhabited area of a village or town) disputes in Noida, Greater Noida, and Yamuna Expressway areas earlier this week, as per a policy approved December 2024. The panel, chaired by Arun Vir Singh, CEO of Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (Yeida), includes additional CEOs from Noida and Greater Noida authorities, officials said on Friday. 

According to the committee’s policy, the leaseback will be granted to farmers whose land was acquired prior to 2014. This specifically pertains to the Abadi area, which was wrongfully acquired by the government under the 1894 Act, despite being used for residential purposes rather than agriculture. The acquisition occurred before the implementation of the new land act in 2013-14.

During a March 12, 2024, Yeida board meeting, which included senior officials from the three industrial authorities, it was decided that the committee would address pending disputes and leaseback issues of farmers’ Abadi land. “The state government wants these Abadi land disputes resolved and leaseback provided to the farmers, as some of this land was wrongly acquired,” Singh said. 

The committee will draft a standard operating procedure (SOP) applicable to all three regions within a month to address these disputes, which have remained unresolved for years. Leaseback, a process where a portion of acquired land is returned to farmers for their rehabilitation, has been a longstanding demand in the region, officials said. “There are around 400 cases of Abadi land disputes across these three industrial areas,” Singh added. 

To be sure, in Greater Noida, at least 200 cases of leaseback are pending, while the Yamuna Expressway area has 150 such cases. Noida has fewer cases, and the authority is compiling a list of affected farmers. Farmers have long alleged delays in addressing these disputes. Yashpal Nagar, a farmer from Noida’s Bhooda village, said, “We have been hearing for the last five years that the authorities will address leaseback issues. But nothing has happened yet. We hope the committee will act now, following the state government’s orders.” 

The disputes stem from government acquisition of agricultural and residential land for developmental projects, leaving farmers demanding land for their families’ rehabilitation, they said.