The Gujarat government is acclaimed for its simple, speedy and rewarding land acquisition process in Sanand, which lit the fortunes of several villages overnight.
Nearly 8 kilometers from the imposing Tata Nano factory in Sanand lies Kalana, a small village of 1,500 people where the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) agreed to purchase 365 bighas of land in Kalana in 2013.
Excited by the Rs 350 crore offer, villagers gave their consent. But a year ago, came the big blow when GIDC decided to not buy the land.
What irks villagers more is GIDC's silence on when it would release their land from its database.
Until that is not done, the villagers cannot farm on their land, cannot sell or mortgage it nor secure a bank loan against it.
CNBC-TV18’s efforts to reach GIDC land officials were not successful, instead a meeting with the state minister Saurabh Patel happened where he said “The government is to decide whether more land is required or not and in the future if the need arises we will go to them.”
Similarly, in Khoraj, the GIDC acquired 6,000 bighas of land at the rate of Rs 2615800 per bigha. But 3 years after it began the acquiring process, 20 percent of payments are still held up.
In terms of the number of villagers, 120 are yet to receive their payments.
CNBC-TV18 met 45-year old Khoraj farmer and businessman Alkesh Modi, who filed a petition in the Gujarat High Court after the GIDC failed to compensate him for his land.
Modi says according to the new land acquisition act, the GIDC must pay farmers 4 times the market value of land but the GIDC is unwilling.
However, the GIDC is insisting to take payment as per the old act.
“The GIDC is not ready to pay and is insisting us to take payment as per the old act and that too in an illegal way, through a sale deed,” Modi added.
GIDC wrote a letter to the farmers telling them to accept three conditions if they want their compensation -- execute a sale deed under old compensation rates, forego interest on their land and agree not to approach the courts.
When asked about the stalled payments and the GIDC's letter to farmers, Patil said that he is unaware of such instances.
Still this remains a matter of concern as such ignorance is doing little to help these villages, which have seen the sun setting on their dreams.
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