Nitish Kumar has been given the Vivekananda National Award for statesmanship n See Page 15

Patna, Jan. 17: Chief minister Nitish Kumar today promised stern action against the farmers indulging in arson and violence at the site of the mega-power plant in the making at Nabinagar while explaining his “very liberal land acquisition and compensation policy”.

“Those who indulged in setting railway property on fire deserve no mercy. They will be identified and given the sternest punishment prescribed under the law,” Nitish said.

“Despite giving munificent compensation, the government is still open to dialogues and negotiations with the farmers. But violence will not be tolerated.”

The irate mob of farmers set a train’s bogie and engine on fire and damaged other state property at Nabinagar in south Bihar’s Aurangabad district on Saturday to protest against the acquisition of their land and “poor” rate of compensation.

The power plant of 3,300 MW is coming up on 2,800 acres of land.

Sources in the energy department said the government had already acquired 1,900 acres of land for the Nabinagar project.

There is a dispute over 800 acres, which, as per the claim of the officials, belong to the government. But the people have allegedly settled there and are carrying out farming on government land.

Nitish explained the land acquisition and compensation policy in detail today, according to which the government was paying the land-owners about two-and-half times more than the price of their respective plots.

“The government has been paying or has paid 50 per cent more than the actual rate of the land. Besides, there is a provision for paying 60 per cent more on the total price of the land. For instance, if the price of a particular piece of land is Rs 100, the government fixes Rs 150 as its rate. And then, the farmer is paid 60 per cent more on Rs 150, taking the total amount of compensation to Rs 240 (a rise of 140 per cent),” the chief minister explained.

Nitish pointed out that most of the land for which the irate people were resorting to violence belonged to the government.

“How can the government pay compensation in lieu of acquiring its own land,” he asked.

Nitish, however, struck a conciliatory note, saying: “The government will be generous to the extent permissible within the ambit of the law to address the cause of the farmers. The affected people, even if they are settled on government land, will be taken care of.”

Nitish ruled out obstacles of the manner seen in neighbouring Bengal’s Nandigram or Singur.

“The power plants should never be compared with the projects at Nandigram and Singur. The Bihar government has not given the land to some private capitalists to set up their plants and make money. The government has acquired the land to set up its own power plants to meet the basic needs of the people.”