Punjab Farmers Occupy NH-5, Sow Paddy on Toll Plaza Land Over Compensation Dispute

A group of farmers briefly occupied a portion of National Highway-5 (NH-5) near the Ferozshah toll plaza in Punjab's Ferozepur district on Wednesday, sowing paddy on the roadway as part of a protest demanding compensation for land allegedly acquired beyond the officially notified area for toll infrastructure.

The protest was led by farmer Gursewak Singh , who claimed that more than three kanals of land belonging to him and his brother, Satnam Singh , was occupied during the highway project in 2019 without compensation . According to the farmers, while payment was made for the land formally acquired, additional land was allegedly taken for the toll plaza and related infrastructure.

Singh said repeated representations to district authorities over the past several years had failed to yield results. He further claimed that a subsequent revenue department demarcation supported the family's contention that excess land had been occupied.

As a mark of protest, the farmers dumped soil on a disputed stretch near the toll plaza and planted paddy saplings. Singh warned that cultivation could be extended across the entire disputed area if the issue remained unresolved. The agitation received support from the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) .

The farmers also accused officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) of delaying action despite assurances that the matter would be resolved.

Government authorities have not publicly commented on the compensation claim. However, revenue officials reached the protest site, held discussions with the agitating farmers, and assured them that the matter would be examined. Following the intervention, the protesters lifted the blockade and ended the demonstration.