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Government not to acquire land forcibly, CM Anandiben Patel adds growth clause

CM Anandiben Patel on Sunday said the state would not acquire land forcibly and give it to corporates.

Anandiben Patel Chief Minister Anandiben Patel at Lakhtar in Surendranagar district on Sunday. (Source: Express photo)

Clarifying the stand of her government for the first time in the wake of debate over land acquisition ordinance, Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Sunday said the state would not acquire land forcibly and give it to corporates but added that public interest projects would not be allowed to be affected.

“Congress is running a campaign in the country that farmers will be robbed of their land and that government wants to take away their land and give it to industries. But (Prime Minister) Narendrabhai Modi has already clarified before the entire country and I hereby assure and promise you that state government will not acquire land and hand it over to corporate houses. Land will be acquired for development projects only,” Patel said.

The CM was addressing a gathering in Lakhtar town of Surendranagar after dedicating to the public Swarnim Gujarat Bulk Pipeline Project, a Rs 2,456-crore scheme to supply drinking water to districts of Saurashtra and Kutch regions.

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Patel congratulated those farmers who had shed their land for digging up canals of Narmada project thanks to which the government is able to provide drinking water to crores of people in the state.

“Had farmers not given their land, could we have built canals in the air? No. Could we have been able to supply drinking waters to villages and municipalities? No…. We have to acquire land for public purposes like canals, water projects, colleges, for roads etc.

Festive offer

Using public land will be the first choice of the state government for such projects. Farmers’ land will be acquired only if such government land is not available,” the CM added.

This is for the fist time that the CM has spelled out position of the state government with respect to land acquisition.

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The NDA government in the Centre has proposed amendments to the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013. The Lok Sabha has cleared the amendments but the Bill has stuck in Rajya Sabha where the ruling coaling lacks majority. The amendment seeks to expand list projects exempted from farmers’ consent and social impact assessment.

Opposition Congress is up in arms against the amendments alleging farmers will loose their land to corporates. As the government failed to get the Bill clear in the Rajya Sabha, it promulgated another ordinance a few days ago.

Seeking to underline the policy of the state government not to acquire land forcibly, Patel cited example of proposed Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region (SIR) near Ahmedabad.

“Modi proposed SIR in Detroj and Mandal and Viramgam talukas. But farmers protested. We tried explain them but they did not budge. Therefore, we gave in and declared that we shall not acquire land of anybody. We gave only government land to Maruti,” said the CM adding now that plants had become functional, farmers had approached her to sell their land.

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Incidentally, the state government had scaled down the size of Mandal-Bechraji SIR from 44 villages to only eight villages after farmers protests in 2013. The CM added that the state government would never ever imagine to compromise interests of farmers and sought to strike a familiar cord with the the audience by reminding them that she herself was a farmer.

“But people of Surendranagar are demanding bypass roads for Morbi and Surendranagar towns. There is similar demand in Sanand also. Widening roads is necessary as vehicular traffic has increased. Farm produce has increased and needs to be taken to ports like Mundra and Kandla. For that we need roads. Narrow roads are leading to accidents killing children and elderly. Somebody will have to give land for widening roads,” Patel further said.

First uploaded on: 06-04-2015 at 04:30 IST
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