JICA team meets farmers losing land to train projectto bullet train project

Surat: Over 800 people, including farmers from Surat, Bharuch, Navsari and Valsad districts made a strong representation before representatives of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the funding agency for high-speed Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, on Friday.
JICA representatives led by chief executive (India), Katasuo Matsumoto, visited Amadpore in Navsari where more than 300 farmers raised serious objections over the bullet train project and the policy of central and state governments to snatch away land of poor people in violation of acquisition rules.

JICA representatives visited Galudi village in Kathor near Surat where they held a three-hour meeting with the affected people in the presence of leaders of Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS).

Farmer leaders said JICA representatives toured the affected areas in south Gujarat and talked to the farmers about their problems. A meeting of JICA representatives and GKS leaders will be held in Surat on Saturday where all issues related to the bullet train project will be raised.

GKS president Jayesh Patel said, “Farmers of south Gujarat made a strong representation to JICA members. They told them how central and state governments were hell-bent on acquiring their land for the project without paying them higher compensation. About 200 people, who are losing their houses in Kathor, demanded market rates for their properties to be acquired for the project.”

Surat District Panchayat member Darshan Naik said, “The state government’s announcement of giving four times the land prices prevailing in the market for properties is turning out to be false. Farmers are not getting even basic price for their land. Majority of farmers are unwilling to part with their land parcels for the bullet train project.”