Patna: Farmers in Bihar’s Bhabua district have been instructed not to cultivate paddy on land acquired for the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Greenfield Expressway, a key infrastructure project under the central government’s Bharatmala initiative.
The district administration, citing the need for uninterrupted construction and clarity in compensation disbursal, has issued strict orders against farming on the marked lands. The directive comes amid reports that some landowners, known as raiyats, were preparing their fields for the upcoming paddy season despite acquisition and initiation of construction.
According to the District Land Acquisition Officer, continued cultivation on these plots could not only disrupt expressway construction but also create confusion around compensation payments and increase the risk of financial losses for farmers due to potential crop damage.
In a formal letter, the officer directed officials of the Agriculture and Revenue departments, including Block and Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officers, to launch awareness campaigns in the affected areas. The officials have been asked to personally reach out to farmers in the villages falling along the expressway alignment and inform them of the consequences of cultivating acquired land.
The letter also stresses the importance of coordination between departments in implementing this campaign and ensuring that the farmers understand that such farming would be detrimental to their own interests.
Construction and compensation processes are ongoing at a rapid pace, and the administration aims to avoid any delays caused by such activities on the ground.
