Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi (File photo)
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi's pet project, the Special Investment Region or SIR, at Dholera in Ahmedabad district could hit a roadblock with farmers of 22 villages in that area protesting against the project alleging that rich agricultural land was being taken away from them for industrial houses.
Farmers from the villages have started planning out protest rallies in Dholera and also in the state capital in the days to come. Agitated farmers held a meeting in Ahmedabad recently to finalise their plans for protest against the SIR.
Importantly, leaders from earlier farmers' agitation including former Finance Minister Sanat Mehta have lent their support to the Dholera farmers as well. The aggrieved farmers allege that as part of the government plan for acquiring their land, these villages have been taken out of the ambit of the Narmada irrigation water scheme depriving them of the benefits of the irrigation water. Villagers allege it was being done to force villagers to sell their land.
"In this area, around 30,000 hectares of land was under the Narmada command area irrigation plan but now has been taken out of that scheme. The farmers have been told they will not get the irrigation waters now. This is anti-national, anti-farmer and a pressure tactic,'' alleged Sanat Mehta.
The Modi government, which has faced farmers' protests over several industrial projects in the past, has refused to comment.
Farmers in the past have protested against a cement plant in Bhavnagar and following an intervention from Supreme Court, the order for land allotment was withdrawn. Almost a year ago, farmers protested against a Special Investment Region in north Gujarat. The government backtracked and decided to exempt some villages from land acquisition.
"The government's proposal doesn't take into account the reluctance of farmers and farm labourers to give away their land for the SIR. In democracy, you cannot have a one-sided order without listening to our point of view," said a protesting farmer, Pradyumnsinh Chudasama.