Noida farmers demand release of arrested counterparts 
Over 400 farmers from Greater Noida and adjoining areas protested in Dadri seeking immediate release of 39 farmers arrested on Friday for stopping a passenger train and blocking movement on the Delhi-Howrah railway track for an hour. The arrested farmers had been demanding more compensation for land being acquired by the government for construction of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. 
Over 400 farmers, including women, took to the streets in Dadri on Tuesday morning demanding the immediate release of 39 farmers who were arrested on Friday for stopping a passenger train and blocking movement on the Delhi-Howrah railway track for nearly an hour. The farmers were staging a protest demanding a hiked compensation for the land being acquired by the government for the construction of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway.The farmers of Bil Akbarpur village marched to Dadri tehsil and asked the administration for an unconditional release of the farmers.Also, the farmers have decided to presently accept the compensation of Rs3,640 per square metre offered by the district administration for acquiring their land. However, they said that they will challenge the acquisition in the court for enhanced compensation, as their counterparts in Ghaziabad have received compensation up to Rs17,000 per square metre.The farmers held a meeting with the district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, BN Singh, on Monday on the issue but could not arrive at a consensus.Teja Gurjar, a farmer leader said, ?The administration has agreed to release the arrested farmers, but has asked us not to obstruct work on Eastern Peripheral Expressway.?The district magistrate said, ?I have met the farmers and have agreed to release the arrested men on the condition that they provide an affidavit that they will not indulge in anti-social activities such as blocking rail routes or obstructing construction work at the expressway site.? The compensation will be awarded as per the government norms and court?s orders, said Singh.Farmers of 39 villages in Greater Noida and adjoining areas had joined hands in protest on Friday, demanding enhanced compensation and said they had decided not to give their agricultural land for the compensation amount proposed by the government.In 2016, the compensation rate was decided at Rs3,500 per square metre, which was enhanced to Rs3,640 per square metre in 2017. Additionally, the district magistrate has also promised to give Rs5 lakh to each farmer family.