Bullet train project: Demanding ‘fair’ land price, Surat farmers force survey officials back

There are 10 Bhatia village residents whose land fall on the route, while 40 other affected farmers from neighbouring villages also were present at the meeting. Sources said that the local administration had intimated them a day earlier of the meeting. The farmers were represented by Co-operative sector leader Mohan Patel who made their demands to the officials.

“We made a peaceful representation to the team headed by Manager (Civil) of NHSRC Deepak Shrivastav,” said a farmer who was present at the meeting. “We demanded that the compensation be as per the current market value of land as per norms of Centre’s Land Acquisition Act, 2013. We have filed a petition in Gujarat high Court and challenged the state’s Land Acquisition Act and the matter is pending in the court. The farmers will not give land till they get money as per the market value.”

“We told them not to bring in police security,” Amrat Patel added. “We are not going to take law in our hands. Ten farmers in our village will become landless for the project. The government should give enough compensation in such a way that they can purchase agricultural land and do farming on it even after it.” Manager (Civil) of NHSRC Deepak Shrivastav said, “We went to Bhatia village in the on Thursday and returned without measuring the land. They (resident) raised issues before us in the meeting and asked us to solve them and then come. So we left the village.”