'Make Village Master Plan, Don’t Grab Farmers’ Land,' Says Bharatiya Kisan Sangh National General Secretary

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Instead of acquiring farmers' land for urbanisation, the government should prepare a village master plan to equip rural areas with modern facilities, said Mohini Mohan Mishra, national general secretary of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), in Bhopal on Monday. He was in the city to attend the executive body meeting of BKS.

“Rather than forcing people to move to cities, the government should ensure that all basic and modern facilities are made available in villages themselves. This will help curb migration to urban areas,” Mishra said.

He said that a Village Sankul Master Plan is needed to ensure all-round development of villages, promoting self-sufficiency while protecting rural ecology and culture.

“BKS is not against urbanisation or development, but not at the cost of farmers’ land. The government must shift its focus from expanding cities to strengthening rural infrastructure, while conserving the environment and local culture,” he said.

Mishra warned that unchecked displacement of villages would damage not just rural life but the environment and human civilisation as a whole. “When villages are uprooted, their culture, environment, and ecological systems are ruined. That’s a loss not just for farmers, but for all of mankind.”

He also demanded fair compensation in cases where land acquisition is unavoidable. “Even if the government acquires land, it should pay four times the market rate, as done in states like Uttar Pradesh and Haryana,” he said.