An indefinite sit-in protest by local farmers over land acquisition has entered its tenth consecutive day in Sotai village, located in the smart city of Faridabad, Haryana. Agricultural lands in the village fall directly along the alignment of the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) upcoming Greenfield Expressway. Protesting villagers, including men, women, and senior citizens up to 70 years old, are demanding fair financial compensation based on current real estate market valuations before handing over physical possession of their property. The farming community maintains that it is not opposed to infrastructure development, but refuses to relinquish its ancestral livelihood source without receiving complete financial settlements. Emphasising their resolve, the villagers even observed the festival of Rakshabandhan together at the protest venue rather than in their homes.
Welcoming Development While Standing Firm on Land Rights
Residents of Sotai village have repeatedly clarified that their intention is not to stall critical government infrastructure initiatives. They acknowledge the long-term benefits of expanding state and regional transport networks. However, the prospect of losing agricultural land without prompt compensation poses an immediate existential threat to their households. Local resident Kamlesh highlighted the distress faced by families whose primary source of sustenance remains under threat.
According to Kamlesh, agriculture provides the sole livelihood for their households, making financial settlement a prerequisite prior to any construction work. Kamlesh stated, "If our land is taken without payment, we will have no means left to support our families." She emphasized that the villagers are conducting a peaceful demonstration purely for their constitutional and financial rights, urging authorities to clear all pending payments before undertaking physical work on the ground.
Voices of Senior Citizens and Agricultural Dependence
The demonstration is notable for the active participation of elderly villagers who have spent their entire lives cultivating the local soil. Among them is 70-year-old Heera, who has been attending the protest daily to demand fair treatment for affected landholders. The agricultural fields of Sotai village traditionally produce key food crops such as paddy, wheat, millet, and sorghum, which have sustained generations of agrarian families.
Heera explained that her entire life has been dedicated to farming these fields, and sitting at a protest site in her old age is a necessity to safeguard her family's future. Heera remarked, "We are not sitting here to stop any work; we are sitting on protest for our money and our rights." Elderly residents express concern that parting with their land without receiving market-rate payouts will leave their children without economic security.
Two Centuries of Farming Heritage and Disparity in Compensation
The relationship between the villagers of Sotai and their land extends beyond financial considerations into deep historical roots. Villager Anita shared that her ancestors have cultivated these fields for approximately 200 years. Surrendering land that has nourished a family for two centuries without equitable financial compensation is an outcome the community refuses to accept. Anita observed, "How can we easily hand over land that our ancestors have farmed for 200 years without receiving fair compensation?"
Additionally, villagers have raised concerns regarding uneven compensation distribution across the locality. Meena Kumari noted that Sotai is her marital home, and her family's land is being acquired for the expressway corridor leading toward Jewar Airport. She pointed out that while a few farmers in the village have received compensation deposits in their accounts, many others remain unpaid. Meena Kumari affirmed, "Until we receive compensation for our land, we will not hand over our property."
The land acquisition footprint covers both individual agricultural plots and shared village lands. Local farmer Prem Chand stated that approximately 10 acres of land, including common community ownership (samlat) parcels, fall under the expressway route in their patch. Prem Chand urged the government and NHAI officials to disburse updated market-rate compensation without delay. Prem Chand noted, "Until fair compensation for the land is provided, we will not hand over physical possession."
The Infrastructure Roadmap of the Greenfield Expressway
The Greenfield Expressway is being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to establish seamless high-speed connectivity between Sector 65 in Faridabad and the upcoming Noida International Airport at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh. The planned highway alignment passes directly through the fertile agricultural belt of Sotai village, necessitating the acquisition of extensive farmland.
While project authorities seek to proceed with construction activities, the farmers of Sotai remain firm in their stance. Demonstrators have stated that they are keeping a close watch on administrative developments in the area. They maintain that until every affected family receives complete compensation matching current market rates, they will neither vacate the protest site nor allow physical possession of their ancestral land.
