SONIPAT: Tension prevailed in Sohti village of Haryana’s Sonipat district on Monday as the administration and police arrived to facilitate the construction of towers for a Power Grid high-tension transmission line, prompting protesting farmers to move towards the construction site.Several farmers, including farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar, were detained during the protest.Farmers had been sitting on a dharna in Sohti for around three weeks, opposing the project over compensation for land being used for the transmission line.As the administration team reached the village to begin construction, the protesting farmers gathered and started moving towards the worksite. Police personnel stopped them on the way.Amid heated exchanges between the farmers and police, several protesters were taken into custody and transported to Sonipat in buses, according to local reports.A police and administrative team was deployed at the spot under the supervision of DCP Narendra Kadian. ACP Kharkhoda Jogender Sharma and duty magistrate and Tehsildar Bijender Nandal were also present.The administration subsequently facilitated the start of construction work on the Power Grid towers.The farmers have been demanding that compensation for the land affected by the Power Grid transmission line be calculated on the basis of its prevailing market value.The dispute has been continuing for several weeks. In August, farmers in Sohti had opposed the installation of Power Grid towers and announced an indefinite protest, demanding compensation at market rates.On September 15, farmers led by Abhimanyu Kohar marched to the Sonipat Mini Secretariat and submitted a memorandum to the administration.At a farmers’ meeting held on Sunday, protesters had decided to put forward their demands before the administration on Monday and march towards the SDM’s office.Kohar has alleged that discrepancies in the calculation of market value were raised during a September 3 meeting with Union minister Manohar Lal.According to Kohar, the issue of correcting alleged discrepancies in the assessment of market value was discussed at the meeting.He has also claimed that a proposal concerning compensation for land under and around the transmission line was discussed. Kohar has said that the minutes of the meeting could be obtained to verify the discussion.Farmers subsequently held several rounds of talks with the district administration. According to Kohar, different proposals concerning the calculation of compensation were discussed during these meetings, but no agreement was reached.The administration faces the task of moving ahead with the Power Grid project while farmers continue to press for compensation based on market value.The transmission line is part of the project connecting Sikar in Rajasthan through Haryana to Narela in Delhi.For the farmers, however, the dispute goes beyond the construction of transmission towers. They maintain that the central issue is the value of the land being affected by the project and the compensation they will receive for it.Monday’s detention of protesting farmers and the start of construction have added a new dimension to the long-running dispute between the administration and the farmers.
