Onboard PM's Special Plane:
When the Uttar Pradesh government started acquiring farmland for its Greater Noida Expressway, it led to widespread protests in Bhatta and Parsaul villages by farmers.
Irked over what they called an unsuitable compensation for the land acquired, the farmers led a violent agitation.
Now, speaking on the issue, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the issue needs fresh thinking.
"With regard to land acquisition, I think we need to think afresh. Before venturing into land acquisition abroad, I'd expect our companies to weigh both the political, economic and ecological factors," the Prime Minister said onboard his special plane while returning from Africa.
Apart from the Greater Noida villages, the issue of land acquisition has also seen violent protests in West Bengal's Nandigram and Singur in 2007 and 2008 respectively. And it even led to Left Front's poll debacle in the recently held Assembly elections.
Amidst growing land acquisition rows across the country, the Supreme Court had recently suggested the government to come out with a "reasonable compensation policy" to meet the genuine grievances of land owners.