While the Gujarat government may have announced a 'farmer-friendly' land acquisition policy developed by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation's (GIDC), farmers have so far given mixed reactions to it. Right ahead of the Vibrant Gujarat Summit scheduled in January,GIDC has gone all out to ensure a hassle-free land acquisition process, as the upcoming meet is likely to generate demand for large tracts of land for industry.
Saurabh Patel, state industries minister, said while announcing the new policy on Wednesday that GIDC aimed to make the farmer or landowner a partner in the development process and that it would share a portion of its profit from selling the land with the landowner. According to the policy, GIDC would give 10 per cent the differential amount between the land allotment price and the land (consent) price, recovered from the sale of the land in the estate to the land owner who gave consent. Moreover, land would be bought at market rates, and the value of the land would be determined by the Center for Environment Planning and Technology (CEPT) University.
Maganbhai Patel, zonal secretary, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) - Gujarat, however, dubbed the new policy as anti-farmer and unjust, saying that "GIDC's model of deciding the market value of a land is dubious and non-transparent".
"Assigning an institute for deciding a market value of a land will make it unjust and non-transparent. The basis on which they will decide the land prices might prove unjust and unacceptable to the farmers," said Patel.
Patel reacted strongly on the government's proposal to give 10 per cent from the GIDC's allotment price. "This is something like giving a tiny piece of bread to the farmer", he said. According to Patel, the government has a policy to give industrial plots in GIDC estates at a throw-away price, from which a meagre amount of share goes to the farmer will be very less. "It is like snatching away the land from farmers and donating it to the industries," said Patel.
On the other hand, a Sanand-based farmer Hasmukhbhai Patel told Business Standard , "While it is too early to say how much benefit would eventually reach the farmer, we welcome the idea of buying land at prevailing market rates. We are glad that an educational institute will decide the current valuation of the land. Earlier, in most cases, jantri price would be considered." He felt that the new policy should succeed in garnering more spontaneous consent from the farmers.
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GIDC's earlier attempts at land acquisition in the Sanand area for its upcoming estate had met with strong opposition from the farmers. Farmers of Bol and neighbouring villages where GIDC was acquiring land, had even taken out protest rallies in February this year claiming that they did not wish to part with their fertile land.
Chandubhai, another local resident, said, "Right now we have apprehensions about how the new policy is going to be implemented. No one from GIDC has so far approached us for buying our land following the new policy so far. But, the government can first sell the land parcel already available with them, before they start acquiring for new projects."
According to senior officials in the state government, GIDC currently has around 500 hectares of unsold land with them, and is in the process of acquiring and developing 5,100 hectares of land for a new estate spanning areas around Sanand, Dahej, Bechraji and Aithor. While the state government declined to comment on the potential land demand to be created by the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, it definitely is banking on this new policy to ensure hassle-free land acquisition to cater to industry demand.