Another Singur? Gujarat farmers oppose new industries and proposed gas-based power plant

GANDHINAGAR: Rolling out the red carpet in Gujarat in 2008 for Tata Motors' small-car project, which was embroiled in land-acquisition issues in Singur in West Bengal, is seen as one of the biggest achievements of Narendra Modi.

And in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, the chief minister and BJP's prime ministerial candidate is playing up the 'vibrant' Gujarat's industrialization model. Yet, farmers near his home town Vadnagar in Mehsana district are opposing new industries and a proposed gas-based power plant.

Close on the heels of protests by farmers in Becharaji, where the state government was forced to go back on a special investment region (SIR), farmers of four villages of Vadnagar taluka recently approached Modi's office and aired their opposition to Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation's ( GIDC) plans to set up an industrial estate on around 1,000 hectares. They have also opposed Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd's proposal to set up a gas-based power in Vadnagar.

While the state government succumbed to protests at Becharaji and exempted some villages from the SIR plan, farmers from Rajpur, Shahpur, Karbatiya and Sultanpura villages in the vicinity of Vadnagar are out to emulate their north Gujarat neighbours. The GIDC is in the process of acquiring 911.96 hectares through the revenue department. All these four village panchayats have already passed resolutions in their respective gram sabhas and opposed the land acquisition. The copies of the resolutions are available with TOI.

"If the government acquires our land for industrialization, the villagers who belong to other backward classes (OBCs) and scheduled castes will lose their only livelihood," according to the memorandum.

"Our farmers do not want to give up their land at any cost," said Babubhai Chaudhary, sarpanch of Rajpur.

GIDC managing director BB Swain said the issue was under scrutiny, but refused to divulge any further details.