On Wednesday, hundreds of farmers from 15 villages in Olpad and Choryasi taluka, took part in the meeting called by the Khedut Samaj, Gujarat at Jehangirpura in Surat city, to discuss the acquisition of farming land for the new Railway goods line from Hazira port to Gothan village.
Farmers in the state have started protesting land acquisition for different projects. Unrest first started brewing among the tribal farmers in the district of Dang, who were opposing the Tapi-Pari-Narmada river linking project. Soon farmers in Surat and Olpad also started protesting against land acquisition for an airport extension and a railway line respectively.
Khedut Samaj Gujarat, Surat president Ramesh Patel said, “In the railway goods train project, over 522 hectares of land will be acquired by the state government, and over 277 farmers will be affected. The farmers are firm on their decision not to give their farming land to the government for such a project.”
Patel said that the farmers are demanding that the railway line that already exists between Kribhco and Gothan should be used instead of making a new one.
He further said, “As per our planning, from tomorrow onwards, we will carry out a meeting with the people in all the affected 15 villages and guide them to prepare a document opposing the land acquisition for the project.”
“We have planned to take out a bike rally on 11th March and from Jehangirpura, Ichhapore and Gothan, which will culminate at the Surat district collector office at Athwalines. Each affected farmer will individually give an objection letter against such a project to the Surat district collector Ayush Oak,” he added.
On February 28, hundreds of farmers from Abhva village in Surat city had objected to and opposed the Khajod Urban Development Authority’s notification announcing acquisition of 700 acres of agricultural land for expansion of the Surat Airport.
The affected farmers protested outside the Surat district collector office and handed a memorandum requesting that their land not be acquired for such a project.
Farmer leader of Khajod village, Kantibhai Patel said, “We have already given our land for Surat Airport and again the government is planning to acquire more land from our village. Now we have decided not to give a single inch of our land. There are around 5000 acres of barren land of the government, which can be used for further expansion of Surat Airport.
“We have submitted an objection letter to the Surat district collector and if no steps are taken we will come out on the road and carry out the protest. We are also planning to fight the battle legally,” he added.
Apart from this the tribal farmers of Dangs are opposing the Central government’s Tapi- Par-Narmada river linking project. On 28th February, over thousands of tribals staying in Navsari and Dang gathered at Asura place in Dharampur town and protested against the inter-river linking project.
The rally was organized by several tribal organizations and Anant Patel, elected Congress MLA of Vansda in Navsari. The rally was attended by Shiv Sena president of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) (union territory) Abhinav Delkar. The tribal leaders handed a memorandum to the Mamlatdar opposing such a project.
Addressing the gathering Delkar said, “Tribal farmers are facing problems of displacement in our neighbouring Dangs district, we are here to support them. We want that innocent tribals should not be displaced from their homes due to the Tapi Par and Narmada river linking project. We will take up this issue in the parliament and will talk to the government for withdrawal of the proposal.”
Congress MLA from Vansda Anant Patel said, “Through this project, three dams will be constructed on Purna, Khapri and Ambika rivers in Dangs. Over 1700 tribal families staying in 35 villages will be affected and they will be displaced from their ancestral lands. We don’t want such a project to come up and we are with them. We will fight till our last breath to save them from being displaced.”