The Expressway to Agra—Two Roads, Same Destination: Land Acquisition under Old and New Land Acquisition Regimes

Abstract

This chapter studies the processes and outcomes of two different expressway projects in the state of Uttar Pradesh, which have seen two different strategies for the procurement of land. Land for Yamuna Expressway was acquired under the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (LAA) and compensation was paid to landowners. The Uttar Pradesh government adopted a new strategy for Greenfield Express to bypass newly enacted LARR, 2013, by directly purchasing land from landowners, and paying higher than market price for land procurement. Based on a detailed qualitative survey, the chapter argues that different categories of farmers have reacted differently to the land acquisition drives and also that market-based land acquisition, despite its success, reflects the vast gap in the economic powers of corporates and the farmers.