Govt diverted 5,000 acre forest land in 3 yrs, claims Congress MLA

Delivering a speech in the Assembly, Modhwadia said, “In current times, we have done it in a big way to divert forest land… In the past three years, we have diverted 5,000-acre forest land into non-forest land.”

He alleged that the ‘chosen ones’ of the government were given special benefits. In this context, he alleged that ArcellorMittal Nippon Steel Limited (AMNS) was given land to set up a power station. Modhwadia said the company did not set up the station and kept illegal possession of the land for years. It was eventually regularised by the Gujarat government when a concerned citizen approached the High Court.

Opposing the deep-sea discharge project and seeking its withdrawal, Modhwadia said they would not allow it. He added the entire coastal region will fight against it. In its budget for the year 2024-25, the Gujarat government has allocated Rs 449 crore for the project under which treated waste water of industries is planned to be released into deep-sea through a pipeline.

The budgetary demands of departments of forest, environment and climate change, tourism, youth services and cultural activities were passed in the House with a majority vote.