Muzaffarpur, Jan. 5: Taking a cue out of the Singur land agitation, land losers of Kudhani block met chief minister Nitish Kumar on January 2 demanding compensation at commercial rate for their plots acquired for widening the National Highway 77, connecting Muzaffarpur and Patna.

Gamon India Construction Limited acquired residential and agricultural land of the farmers of the area for the project. Over the past three months, they have been demanding the compensation.

Assistant collector Sudhir Kumar Singh had turned down the plea of the farmers for compensation at par the commercial rate. He recommended compensation on the basis of a land survey conducted way back in 1962.

Peeved over the decision, the affected farmers decried the high-handedness of the district authorities and met district magistrate Anand Kishore thrice.

“But even he (Kishore) turned a blind eye towards the demand of the farmers,” said Arvind Kumar Varun, a resident of Bishunpur Mangar village.

Deciding not to take the compensation money for their acquired land, the farmers united under the banner of Kisan Sangharsh Morcha under the leadership of Kudhani MLA Monoj Kushwaha.

Activists of the Morcha met Nitish on January 2 and pleaded for the compensation of lands on a par their commercial value. The farmers cited instances of adjoining districts, including Darbhanga, Madhubani and Motihari, where the farmers were given compensation for acquired land at par with the commercial value.

Nitish has directed the principal secretary of land reforms department C. Ashokvardhan to look into the matter.