Congress today accused Essar Group of forcibly acquiring farmland and grazing fields in Gujarat's Devbhomi Dwarka district in collusion with the BJP government in the state, a charge strongly denied by the private corporate entity.
"Essar Power Gujarat Ltd had sought 17,69,986 sq mt land to build a corridor for transporting coal stocks. The land included gauchar (grazing), land of private farmers and state-owned land in Dwarka Devbhomi," the party's national spokesperson, Shaktisinh Gohil, said at a press meet here.
"Initially, the government did not give away 'gauchar' land citing a Supreme Court order. However, Revenue Department suggested the industrial group an easy option - take the gauchar land and give the affected villagers the same amount of land elsewhere after developing it as gauchar," he said.
Gohil alleged Essar and government officials ignored acquisition norms and started acquiring farmlands coercively.
"Essar and government employees, with help from state machinery, raided three villages - Mota Manda, Nana Manda and Parodhiya - on the night of June 30 and started taking possession on the land with force.
"Those who claim to be 'gau-bhakts' (cow-worshippers) are now taking away the gauchar land. The Prime Minister, who came to power with the money of these industrial houses, has now started giving compensation to them," he alleged.
Provisions of the UPA government-enacted Right to Fare Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Act were ignored while deciding the award of land and farmers, too, had opposed the entire exercise, the Congress leader said.
The farmers were offered lower than 'jantri' price (land rate decided by government). Also, the activities of the Group may pose a threat to the local environment (air and water pollution), Gohil said and demanded a CBI or a court-monitored probe into the entire land acquisition issue.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued after the press meet, Essar said the State had granted it government waste and gauchar land measuring 1,24,445 sq mt and not 17,69,986 sq mt (as claimed by Congress).
"Equivalent amount of alternate land measuring 13,746 sq mt in lieu of gauchar was handed over to the government. Also, 30 per cent additional amount of occupancy price for Gauchar was paid to the government. With regards to air and water pollution, the company is in compliance with Gujarat Pollution Control Board's norms.
"The company is carrying out its activities on the land owned by it either by way of acquisition or allotment by the government for which necessary consideration has been fully paid. Other than these identified and earmarked land no forceful possession of any other land is being taken," it said.
