We will give up our life but not land

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Govt notification to acquire 5,000 acres of land next to Nano project for industrial park has farmers of four villages in Sanand taluka up in arms

Dilip Patel

Farmers of four villages in Sanand taluka are up in arms against the government after it issued a notification to acquire 5,062 acres of land to set up an industrial park next to the Nano project. Five thousand families stand to lose their land in the process.
The notification was issued to the Sanand mamlatdar and the four village panchayats of Hirapur, Charal, Bol and Siyawada on December 4.
K D Upadhyay, deputy secretary, revenue department, who issued the notification, said, “Yes, we’ve cleared the proposal sent by the district collector to acquire the land. And we’ve already published it in a gazette on November 18.”
However, the villagers refuse to abide by the decision. Around 500 farmers of the four villages led by Karamsinh V Patel met at Hirapur village on Sunday night to oppose the government’s decision.
A letter opposing the deal signed by all the farmers was later submitted to the GIDC Land Acquisition Unit at Fadia Chambers on Ashram Road.
Govindji Thakor, sarpanch of Charal village, said, “Under no circumstances will we part with our land, even if the government gives us Rs 25 lakh to Rs 50 lakh for one bigha. Land is our mother. We will give up our lives, but not our land. Most of us are illiterate farmers who have witnessed the sorry state of farmers who gave away their land for the GIDC Changodar project.”
Karamsinh Patel said, “We won’t give an inch of land even if the government shoots us or lathicharges us. We will beat up any official coming to admeasure our land. If need be we will break their bones.”
We are setting up a farmers association and will present our case to the collector, DSP and the GIDC, Patel said.
“The land is our livelihood and gives us our daily bread. The rice produced here is the best in the state. If alternate land is given to us, it will scatter our families. If the government gives us money for our land, it will be spent in no time,” he said.
Ahmedad district Collector Harit Shukla said, “The entire process of land acquisition will be carried out by GIDC and not us.”
GIDC requisition officer (OSD) N D Zala said, “We have already published a public notice. If any farmer has any objection, he can come to me. On Monday some farmers had submitted their objections to me.”
Farmer Jagabhai Govardhan, 51, of Hirapur village said, “I have 50 bighas of land. I grow rice, wheat and jowar. My joint family of 50 persons is dependent on the proceeds from the land. We know nothing except farming. We don’t want to sell our land and impoverish ourselves. I won’t give any portion of my land.”
Another farmer, Zalabhai Govabhai Patel, from the same village has 300 bighas of land. Patels says, “My extended family of 250 people depend on earnings from our land. No one in our family is educated and we will not give our land at any cost.”
Meanwhile, the government also plans to acquire another 2,000 acres in three more surrounding villages. This would up the total area for the industrial park to 7,000 acres.