As farmers march towards Parliament, security is heightened in Delhi-NCR. Key demands focus on compensation, land rights, and employment benefits

Farmers are set to march towards the Parliament complex in Delhi today, pressing for five critical demands related to compensation and benefits under the new agricultural laws. The protest, led by Bhartiya Kisan Parishad (BKP) leader Sukhbir Khalifa, aims to highlight grievances around land acquisition and the welfare of landless farmers.

The march, which will begin at 12 pm near the Mahamaya flyover, will involve farmers travelling by foot and tractors from 20 districts, including Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Aligarh, and Agra. The farmers are pushing for a series of changes, with the five key demands as follows: allocation of 10 per cent plots and 64.7 per cent increased compensation under the old acquisition law, four times the market rate compensation for acquired land, and 20 per cent of acquired land to be allotted after January 1, 2014. Additionally, they demand employment and rehabilitation benefits for the children of landless farmers, as well as the implementation of government orders passed by the High Power Committee on these issues.

To manage the anticipated influx of protesters, authorities have ramped up security and implemented significant route diversions in Delhi-NCR. Barriers have been erected at the Noida-Delhi borders, with heightened security checks in place. Police Commissioner Law and Order Shivhari Meena confirmed that a large number of police forces will be deployed near key locations like Chilla, DND Border, and Mahamaya Flyover, with additional checkpoints on the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway.

As part of the traffic management plan, vehicles travelling from Chilla Border towards Greater Noida will be diverted via the Sector 14A flyover, while routes from DND border to Delhi will follow the Filmcity flyover in Sector 18. Vehicles coming from Kalindi Border will be rerouted through Mahamaya Flyover in Sector 37, and traffic from Greater Noida to Delhi will travel via Kalindi Kunj and the Charkha roundabout. Goods vehicles will face restrictions on major routes, including the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the Yamuna Expressway, as they head towards Delhi.

These protests come on the back of previous farmer demonstrations in the region. Between November 27 and December 1, farmers had been protesting at the Greater Noida and Yamuna Authorities, voicing concerns about land acquisition and compensation under the government’s policies. Other farmer organisations, including Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and Samyukt Kisan Morcha, are also preparing for marches from December 6, focusing on demands for a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops.

Today’s protest marks another chapter in the ongoing struggle for farmer rights in India, with the government under pressure to address the agricultural community’s demands for fair compensation, land rights, and sustainable welfare benefits.