The company is well on its way to completing the construction of India’s premier motorsports destination, the 5.14km Jaypee race circuit. Situated on the outskirts of New Delhi, near Greater Noida, and spread over 2,500 acres, the Jaypee racetrack will be a part of Jaypee Sports City.
Thus reads a press release brought out by Jaypee Group , constructing the race circuit called Buddh International circuit, which will host India’s first ever F1 Grand Prix in October 2011.
Construction of the track has provided an economic boost to hundreds of farmers in the area. Compensation payments made to farmers to build over their land have transformed the farmers to a wealthy lot overnight. They are constructing huge houses and purchasing expensive cars.With no land to cultivate, these wealthy farmers are out of a job, leading many to alcoholism and domestic violence.
Life was tough but simple not very long ago for farmer Sanjay Singh and his tight-knit family of six who say they were content with their small piece of land on which they harvested cucumbers, vegetables and other crops. Construction of the F1 circuit has turned their lives upside down.
“We sold away our land for the organisers of the race,” Singh told AFP while supervising the construction of his new two-storey house in Dankaur-Sarlarpur village which overlooks the race circuit. “We are building a new house and we have a car now, but we are not happy because our means of livelihood which was farming has been snatched away,” he added.
Singh says there is “ill-will among the villagers” because of jealousy and suspicion.
“Even in the families, sons are fighting over their share of money,” he said. “They are giving up on their studies as they think they have enough money to last a lifetime. They roam around the whole day drinking beer and picking petty fights.”
In some villages, farmers have been unhappy with the compensation paid to them. However, a spokesperson for JPSI, the firm promoting the event, said all the land required for development of the Formula 1 motor racing track at Dankaur had been acquired under a compensation plan that farmers had agreed to.
It is hard to say whether the transformation of these farmers is for good or for worse. Read more here.
On a related topic,
Over 300 farmers whose lands were acquired for Jaypees Formula One race track threatened to dismantle the racing track with force if necessary if their demands were not met. The farmers are opposed to the districts land being given to the builders. Instead, it should be allotted for industrial purposes so that our children may have employment in the future. Read more here.