Today, Gujarat Congress leader and national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil held a Press Meet at Gujarat Pradesh Congress Office at Rajiv Gandhi Bhavan in Ahmedabad.
While addressing Press Meet Gohil said that BJP government is using brute force to help Essar Power Gujarat Limited to take possessions of farmers’ land in Devbhoomi Dwarka district flouting all norms of Land Acquisition Act and Supreme Court orders.
Demanding immediate action against officers who have colluded with the company in this nefarious activity, national spokesperson of Congress Shaktisinh Gohil said that the BJP was giving return gift to big industrialists from whom it has collected crores of rupees in the name of election fund. He released photographs of police in action against farmers to take possession of land for Essar.
Giving details, he said that the company had sought 17,69,986 Sq mt land for building a corridor. The land included Gochar land also. The company managed very low Jantri rate for farmers’ land through government officers. However, while the process was on, new Land Acquisition Act provisions came into force. Ignoring The Right to Fare Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act 2013, the award was announced. This was being opposed by farmers. Thus the process was incomplete as per the new law.
To forcibly take possession from farmers, in a mid night operation officers of Essar along with armed police and JCBs swooped down on mota maanda, parodia and other nearby villages of Khambalia taluka. BJP govt is acting on suggestions of industrialists and acting against law, he said.
He further pointed out that Essar wanted land which was gauchar land and as per SC guidelines it could not be given. However, govt obliged the company by accepting a proposal of the company that it would buy equal area for gauchar land in return to the required gauchar land. But it did not fulfill the proposed condition. However, it wanted possession of gauchar land of mota maanda village. BJP which claims itself a party of cow worshipers is taking away the gauchar land for industrialists.
Fertile land around this gauchar land was forcibly took away from farmers under the LA Act 1984. This has gone to High Court and it is learnt that the Court has ordered a stay on the government action on the ground that the land cannot be acquired without consent of concerned farmer. In this case Collector and DSP acted in favor of company.
He said that the Essar has sought more land than required to build corridor to transport coal. By showing less area of gauchar land, the company has acted fraudulently. This extra land will bring coal pollution to greater area. This will ruin farmers it is very obvious.
Congress demands
1. Action should be taken against all the officers who worked against order of Supreme Court in civil suit 877/2014 dated 24.1.2014 for grabbing land of farmers during night at the instance of Essar.
2. Return the gauchar land which Essar has taken
3. Farmers land should not be taken without their consent.
4. CBI inquiry should be ordered in the way the administration has tried to grab the land and give it to Essar.
5. The government should ask Essar to pay the expenses to those farmers
who have moved court to obtain stay.
