The stretch of land in Nabinagar where the power plant will be built by the state government and the NTPC surrounded by pillars. Picture by Sankarshan Thakur

Nabinagar (Aurangabad), Jan. 20: This dusty region in Bihar’s Maoist-affected hinterlands is no Pandora, but its residents, like the Navis of Avatar, have decided to put their foot down and fight to preserve the land which has been earmarked for a project that is an integral part of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s ambition to make the state power surplus within five years.

The huge stretch of land at Nabinagar, some 140km south of Bihar, is surrounded by a few mid-size pillars where a herd of sheep can be seen grazing. That’s all about it.

This is the site, spread over 2,800 acres, of the mega power project plant, a joint venture of the Bihar State Electricity Board (BSEB) and the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) in collaboration with the National Power Generation Company (NPGC), which is expected to drive Bihar’s growth story but has got entangled in a furious protest over land.

While 1,900 acres have been acquired, there is a dispute over around 800 acres, for which the farmers are being paid between Rs 5 lakh-Rs 6 lakh per acre.

A section of farmers is up in arms against what they say is the “poor” compensation being paid for their land on which the proposed three-unit plant that will generate 3,300MW of electricity.

On Saturday, the protest turned violent when a group of farmers vandalised a railway station, prompting the police to open fire.

The chief minister has vowed stern action against those who damaged government property, but his power dream appears to be still on paper with even the NTPC yet to set up its office.

Jai Prakash Singh, a farmer from Majhigaon village, which lies in the vicinity of the plant site, reflects the farmers’ frustration.

“This season we are running at a loss. We are selling a quintal of foodgrain at Rs 1,075, which is Rs 300 less than the price at which we sold last year. The government doesn’t buy our grains which are of a finer quality,” he said.

Jai Prakash said the farmers, already reeling from the lower price, feel cheated by the government for not offering adequate compensation for the land.

“The farmers are protesting because they are not getting proper compensation for their land. Another power plant, a joint venture of the NTPC and the railways, is coming up just 5km from here. The farmers displaced for that project have got a compensation of around Rs 13 to 14 lakh per acre. It is a handsome compensation as the land where the project is happening is not fertile and hilly. Here, the land is fertile and fit for cultivation. But the farmers are getting nothing more than Rs 5 to 6 lakh. This has not gone down well with the farmers.”

The government maintains that those agitating have staked their claim on government land.

The chief minister has said handsome compensation had been paid for acquiring private land and that it was senseless for the government to pay compensation for their own land.

A farmer of Rahra village, also close to Nabinagar, admitted he had a little over an acre of land which was to be acquired. “The land is mine. But I am not going to give it away for any kind of project. Zameen se jee kha rahe hai (I am living and eating with the help of this land). What will I do with the money? What will happen when the money is finished?” asked the farmer, who refused to reveal his name.

But soon he went into a shell as he sensed he could be speaking to a journalist. “Jiska jameen woh bechega (the landowner will sell it). I am not the real owner of the land,” he shied off.

Residents of the area say they haven’t seen a lot of activity at the site. A teacher at the high school of Aukora village said: “We have heard about the problem. But we haven’t seen too many officials here. I personally haven’t seen anyone from NTPC at the site off late.”

Udit Singh, straight despite 60 years old, heaved a sigh of relief that his land wasn’t going to be acquired. “But many farmers have given their land to the government for the project and taken the compensation,” he quietly said.

Nitish’s vow to make Bihar a power self-sufficient state by 2015 depends on how fast he can convince the others to follow suit.