SURAT: Around 150 farmers from Variyav and nearby villages of Olpad taluka of Surat district staged a protest against officials of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) when they came to lay pipeline through their fields on Thursday. The farmers said they were neither consulted nor paid any compensation by the ONGC officials. Farmer leader Darshan Naik said, “ONGC had acquired land on use rights in the past for laying gas pipeline from Hazira to Ankleshwar. ONGC officials need to take permission for digging and pay up additional compensation to farmers who own the land but they had not bothered to do this.”
“ONGC officials reached the place with police and started digging,” said Ramesh Patel, a villager from Orma. A case is pending in high court, then how can they do this? he asked.
Farmers said they had tried to make representations to district collector and other authorities in the past six months but to no avail. ONGC officials were not available for comment.