Anand Agri varsity demands 2,200 acres from Guj govt

NEW DELHI: An agriculture university has asked the Gujarat government for 2,200 acres of farm land in lieu the land given to Tata Motors for small car project.

"We have demanded approximately 900 hectare (2,200 acres) of alternative land from the state government for our on-going agri-projects," Anand Agriculture University (AAU) Vice-Chancellor M C Varshneya said , a day after Tata Motors and Gujarat government signed an MoU for Nano project.

The Gujarat government gave 1,100 acres of land from the agriculture university to Tata Motors on October 7 for relocating its Nano plans from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand near Ahmedabad.

The University has returned approximately 2,200 acres to the government and in return has asked for the land in six districts such as Anand, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, Vadodara and Ahmedabad, that comes under the jurisdiction of AAU, he said.

Of 2,200 acres, the government has agreed to give 1,100 acres of farm land to Tata Motors for setting up of Nano car project, while the remaining 1,100 acres is still with the government.

Varshneya said, "There was a lot of activity going on the land given to Tatas and we need to relocate the projects."
The AAU was handed over 820.23 hectare in Charodi in May 2007, which was earlier controlled by the Gujarat Agricultural University during 1972-2007, the AAU website said.

According to AAU sources, a project for developing high-yielding jatropa varieties was underway in Charodi area which has since been given to Tata Motors. The project was funded by National Oilseeds and Vegetable Oils Development Board (NOVOD).

Another project funded by Gujarat Livestock Development Board (GLDB) was underway at the site, where the on-going construction had to be stopped with the take over of land by the state government, they added.

AAU sources said the varsity authority are in the process of estimating the number of projects to be shifted and work out the losses incurred due to it.

Varshneya said, "Currently, we cannot quantify the losses due to relocation of projects. We have still not yet identified the number of projects to be shifted."

The state government has given total 1,100 acres of farm land in Charodi and Sanand to Tata Motors for setting up the Nano plant.

Tata Motors signed an agreement with Gujarat government yesterday for setting up of the Rs 1-lakh car Nano project in the State.

The new project site was finalised on Monday evening after yet another visit by the Tata Motors officials, who in the last few days had scouted for possible locations in many other States.

Ever since the Tatas faced political resistance in West Bengal for their project at Singur, various state governments, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, have made offers for locating the small-car project in their State.