Gujarat govt misusing Land Acquisition Act to grab land: Congress

State Government and the Centre are misusing the Land Acquisition Act provisions in order to grab the land from the farmers, Congress party alleged on Saturday, on the second day of its six-day twin-yatras that will meet at Gandhi Ashram on Gandhi Jayanti.

"The practices of the government is worse than the atrocities committed by Britishers during their rule. It is indulging in land grabbing by misusing the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. Farmers value their land very much. But the government is acquiring them under one pretext or the other. What's more, farmers are not paid adequate compensation as well," said Amit Chavda, President of Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC), as the yatra resumed the journey from Surat on Saturday. "The efforts under the Irrigation Act, the amended Motor Vehicles Act and the drives to collect fine are nothing but to intimidate the masses," he added.

The yatra had departed from Dandi in south Gujarat on Friday and made an overnight halt in Surat. The yatra covered areas of Ankleshwar and Bharuch in south Gujarat.

Paresh Dhanani, the Leader of Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly covered the areas of Jetpur, Virpur, Gondal and Rajkot in Saurashtra during the second yatra from Porbandar. Dhanani said that the government is exploiting the youth through systems of contract work instead of making them regular employees.