The Japanese agency is funding the Rs 1.08 lakh crore project and was on a two-day visit to meet farmers who are opposing the ambitious project.
A team of representatives from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) on Saturday held marathon meetings at Gujarat Khedut Samaj office in Surat to discuss the issues affecting farmers whose land is likely to be acquired for the ambitious bullet train project. Notably, the Japanese agency is funding the Rs 1.08 lakh crore project and was on a two-day visit to meet farmers who are opposing the ambitious project.
The JICA team had a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with farmers along with their lawyer Anand Yagnik, where the latter apprised the team about the legal violations in the land acquisition process and what farmers are expecting from the Government of India and the funding agency. The JICA team was informed about how the state government, in gross violation of norms, is planning to acquire the land of farmers by snatching away their livelihood, without paying a proper compensation.
Yagnik informed the team that the state government is planning to acquire the land of farmers at 2011 jantri rates, whereas the state is supposed to notify the 2018 jantri rates and then carry out the acquisition. The lawyer also informed the team that the state government is not providing any rehabilitation and resettlement, and is offering a 50 per cent additional compensation in lieu of rehabilitation and resettlement. However, he claimed that the central Act categorically provides that money cannot be a substitute for rehabilitation and resettlement.
The team was also informed about the Environmental Impact Assessment and its shortcomings as well as the lack of any social impact assessment of the project. Yagnik told DNA that a closed-door confidential meeting was also held between him, Gujarat Khedut Samaj's president Jayesh Patel, and JICA officials.
Yagnik clarified the JICA team that the farmers are not against the development, but the development should not cause their death.
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