The nearly 50,000 people who inhabit the seven villages — Damka, Bhatlai, Mora, Rajgari, Suvali, Junagam and Hazira — are very angry these days.
The Gujarat government may have succeeded in convincing the Tatas to shift Nano’s main production unit from trouble-torn Singur to peaceful Sanand but it is apparently unaware of a Singur-like flashpoint that is developing at Hazira near Surat.
The nearly 50,000 people who inhabit the seven villages — Damka, Bhatlai, Mora, Rajgari, Suvali, Junagam and Hazira — that lie between Bhesan and Hazira are very angry these days. They are worried that at least 10,000 people living in these villages will lose their houses and land if the state roads and buildings department goes ahead with its plan to build an emergency escape route from Hazira.
The proposed emergency exit road, which will be 200-metre-wide and nearly 20-21 km-long, will pass through the abovementioned seven villages and connect Hazira with Bhesan. A railway line will also be laid parallel to the road as part of the proposed emergency exit route.
The state roads and buildings department wants to build this emergency exit for the large industrial units that are located in the Hazira area. Some of the major companies that have units or offices located here are Reliance, Essar, Kribhco, ONGC, NTPC, GAIL, Shell, Cairn, and Larsen & Toubro, among others.
The villagers’ anger over the proposed escape route is particularly palpable in Mora village which will perhaps be the worst-hit among the seven villages. “The proposed escape route passes right through our villages and will directly affect thousands of people,” said Vijay Modi, sarpanch of Mora village. “Because of the road, these people will lose their land or houses or both. The villages will actually cease to exist if the escape route is allowed to pass through them.”
The story is the same in Rajgari, Hazira, Damka, Bhatlai, Suvali and Junagam villages where hundreds of people in each village will be directly affected.
The villagers allege that the route has been planned through their villages at the behest of the industries in Hazira. They also accuse the state government of resorting to intimidation to scare them. Surveys were slated for June 5 in the villages amid strict police presence, but they were put off at the insistence of the local MLA, Kirit Patel, who was reportedly afraid of a public backlash.
Villagers said they have identified and proposed three other routes for the emergency exit. “We have proposed three alternative routes for the emergency exit,” said Jamubhai Patel, ex-sarpanch of Mora. Patel added a disturbing note to the people’s anger in these villages. “I am afraid that if the state government does not change its mind, many villagers could end up committing suicide,” he said. “It would be a tragedy greater than Singur.”
Villagers accuse govt of intimidation
The proposed emergency exit road, which will be 200-metre-wide and nearly 20-21 km-long, will pass through these seven villages and connect Hazira with Bhesan
A railway line will also be laid parallel to the road as part of the proposed emergency exit route.
Some of the major companies that have units here are Reliance, Essar, Kribhco, ONGC, NTPC, GAIL, Shell, Cairn, and L&T.
The villagers allege that the route has been planned at the behest of the industries. They also accuse govt of resorting to intimidation to scare them.
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