Maruti’s land acquisition faces opposition by farmers
Farmers, in parts of Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad, protested against land acquisition by Maruti. The villagers claim that the land was taken away from them at a throwaway price and given to Maruti. This is the second major instance where farmers are protesting against the State Government’s attempts to acquire agricultural land for industries. The farmers had earlier protested when Nirma tried to get land for a cement plant in Bhavnagar district. The state government is planning to set up an automobile and knowledge hub in Mandal-Becharaji Special Investment Region (SIR). Maruti Suzuki India Ltd plans to set up a plant in the area.
Agitated farmers were prevented from entering the entering the Secretariat area and entry of private vehicles on the nearby roads was prohibited from dawn to dusk. A delegation of farmers held the first round of talks with the officials which were unsuccessful. For the proposed SIR, the State Government sought to acquire nearly 51,000 hectares of land, including pastoral and wasteland, in and around 44 villages of Ahmedabad, Surendranagar and Mehsana districts. The proposed Maruti Suzuki plant at Hansalpur on Becharaji-Viramgam Highway had been allotted 700 acres by the state government.
Source: The Hindu Business Line
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