An international airport in Jewar is the primary talking point among residents of this sleepy hamlet in Gautam Buddh Nagar. The decision to construct the Noida international airport here, known to be a dream project of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and touted as “Asia’s largest”, have put the spotlight on Jewar.
But, land compensation and employment are major concerns for voters in the area. At least six villages in the assembly constituency, which are most affected by the construction of the airport, are agitating against the government compensation that residents got in lieu of their ancestral land.
At the main bazaar, Saurabh and his friends wait for their coaching classes to begin. Some are preparing for the entrance test to the Indian Air Force, while others are hoping to crack the state police examination. Jobs and employment are their primary concern.
Keshav, preparing for the NTPC exam, is hopeful that the airport will bring more employment opportunities. “Employment is a big issue for us. For 100 jobs, one lakh people apply… I am hopeful that when Jewar airport comes up, there will be opportunities for us,” he says.
Rahul, who works at a private company, points out that the airport will bring with it many other projects as well. “Property prices are already going up. The film city will also be made here; medical park, many other infrastructure projects will come up. All this will get locals more opportunities,” he says.
Friend Saurabh, however, is sceptical. Saurabh, who wants to become a cop, highlights the “no local employment” rule that some companies have enforced. “Dhankaur (a neighbouring town) has Vivo company. They don’t take locals. In Jewar, they will do the same. They have given jobs to those who live 300 km away… why not to us?” he asks.
Dinesh Kumar, who lost his job as a school teacher during the Covid-19 lockdown, has the same concern. “Why are they denying jobs to locals? They have put a limit of 200 km. People within that range won’t be eligible for jobs even if they have the qualifications… how is that fair?” he asks.
It is this anxiety about jobs as well as land compensation that RLD candidate Avtar Singh Bhadana is trying to encash. Jewar will vote in the first phase of the assembly elections in the state, which is on February 10.
Bhadana, a resident of Faridabad, was earlier the Meerapur MLA in Meerut before jumping ship to the RLD and then onto Jewar. But he claims he is not an outsider.
At the Charauli village, he rides a tractor through alleyways, promising the kisan and yuva of Jewar their “due”. “The biggest issue is the atrocity against the kisan and mazdoor. Locals, whose houses were demolished for the airport, were left homeless. They are also being denied jobs. We want to talk about jobs for the locals. You have brought a big airport here, but what are the locals getting out of it?” he tells News18.
Sitting BJP MLA Dhirendra Singh counters this. “These are ghotale baaz people in whose rule investors fled Noida. The CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General of India) exposed their scams,” he says, adding, “Jewar iss waqt investors ka top destination hai (Jewar is a top destination for investors right now). People want to see Yogi Adityanath as CM because he has brought Jewar on the world map.”
But there are pockets that are a cause of worry for the BJP. At least six villages — Nangla Ganeshi, Dayanatpur, Rohi, Nangla Sharif Khan, Nangla Chittar, Jhangira Jhopdi — are agitating against the compensation received in lieu of their land for the airport.
Ajay Pratap Singh at Dayanatpur village, rummages through the bricks of what was once his home. Today, it is the site for the boundary wall of the Jewar airport. Singh claims that as a rural area, they deserved four times the price of their land under the law. But the administration cheated them by calling this area urban.
“We have been agitating since 2018. Our homes were demolished without notice. At the rehabilitation site, basic amenities like road, water, electricity are missing. We are villagers, but our compensation has been fixed as per urban standards… this is illegal,” he says.
Rakesh Kumar, who has moved the court against the government compensation, says farmers had to sell their cattle as the land and house received in lieu of their ancestral homes were too small. “Yahaan kisan 1,200 gaj mein reh raha tha… ab 50 to 60 metre ka ghar diya hai… usmein tractor, buggi, gai, bhains kaise aayega (Farmers were living within 1,200 gaj earlier, but now the houses measure up to 50 to 60 metres. How will our belongings such as tractor and cattle fit inside this space)?” he says.
Many like Rukmuddin have lived in tents over the past year, waiting for their dues. Dhirendra Singh had promised that issues will soon be sorted out, but even BJP supporters are now questioning the role played by local leadership.
A farmer, Satish Sharma, says, “Hamare pratyashi sirf apne gaon ke vikas kiye hain… airport Thakur bahulya (Thakur-dominated) kshetra mein le gaye hain… vidhayak se naraaz hain sab yahan per Yogi baba bahut ache hain,” he says.
It is Adityanath’s personal charisma coupled with Bhadana’s “outsider tag” that the BJP is hoping will swing the votes in their favour in Jewar.
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