Farmers stage protest

The villagers in Mangrol taluka, around 45 km from Surat city, on Monday staged protests seeking higher compensation for their land, which Gujarat Industries Power Company Limited (GIPCL) wants to acquire for setting up a power plant, and to press for other demands.

Braving heavy rains in the area, more than 100 farmers from Mangrol, Mosali, Harsani, Timberwa, Bhilwad, Nani Pardi and Amandera villages, who could end up losing their land, staged symbolic protests outside mamlatdar office at Mangrol on Monday. They chanted slogans demanding paid adequate compensation for their land and other benefits.

According to villagers, GIPCL is offering them Rs5 lakh-6 lakh for each hectare of land, which they say is grossly inadequate. The villagers are demanding compensation between Rs25 lakh and 30 lakh for their land. This is the money that was paid by Gujarat Gokul Power Limited to farmers for acquiring land for a power project in the area.

“It is unfortunate that the issue of proper compensation has not been resolved despite of several meetings with GIPCL officials, and after raising the issue with state government. If the company wants our land, it must give the right price,” ex-minister Raman Chaudhari, who is spearheading farmers’ protests under the aegis of Mangrol Taluka Hitrakshak Samiti, said.

“The land is what we have. If anyone wants to take it away, we must be paid the proper money. If Gujarat Gokul paid Rs25 lakh to Rs30 lakh per hectare to farmers, why should we part with our land for only 20% of the money,” Darshan Patel, a local farmer, said.

However, SL Bose, executive director, GIPCL, said, “The price we are offering to farmers is 7 to 8 times the government rate. The farmers cannot say that the compensation is inadequate.” While the right compensation tops their agenda, the local residents are also pressing for jobs from the company.

“Instead of hiring only outsiders, GIPCL must see that affected farmers and farm workers are also given jobs. When we are giving our land for the sake of development, the local residents should not be prejudiced against in selection for jobs,” Shabbir Jerman, vice president of the samiti, said.

“We have sent our demands to the company and state government, and are going to wait for two weeks. We will resort to protests and aggressive demonstrations to press for our demands,” Jerman said. Villagers are also demanding that land acquired at Nani Naroli by GIPCL earlier, which has not been used so far, should be returned to farmers. The villagers also want more financial benefits for local gram panchayats.

GIPCL, a state government owned company, is in the process of acquiring 700 hectare land in Mangrol for setting up a 500 - 600 MW power plant. It runs another power plant of 250 MW at Nani Naroli in Mangrol, whose capacity is being doubled.