Dholera SIR land acquisition: Gujarat HC seeks explanation from govt

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has sought explanation from the state government over allegations levelled by farmers that the authority continued action for finalizing Town Planning scheme for Dholera Special Investment Region(SIR) despite the HC’s order of maintaining status quo.

In December 2015, the high court had stayed the government from acquiring agriculture land near Dholera in Ahmedabad district following disagreement on part of the farmers over compensation issue.

More than two years after the HC ordered a stay, the farmers filed another petition demanding action against the Town Planning officer for contempt of court and for violating the court order.

Farmers’ advocate M K Vakharia said that the TP officer continued to issue notices to farmers asking them to come up with documents showing their ownership of land. He had been asking the agriculturists to register their objection, if any, to the planned acquisition.

The farmers told the HC that the TP officer was not the part of the original litigation, but when he issued notice to the farmers in 2016, the HC’s stay order was served on him intimating about the directions. But the farmers continued to get notices giving them ultimatum to supply land ownership papers for draft finalization for the TP Scheme.

After hearing the case, the HC asked the additional government pleader to directs the TP officer not to take any action and issued a notice to the state government seeking its reply by February. The HC has issued a noticed on Friday, but the copy of the order was made available on Tuesday.

Dholera SIR is being planned by the state government as a very important part of the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The government has planned to acquire land from 22 villages in Dholera block for its 900-square km area to develop industrial and investment zone.