The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea challenging Gujarat Government’s decision to acquire “fertile agricultural” land for Tata Motors Nano car project.
A bench headed by Chief Justice K. G. Balakrishnan questioned the locus standi of an NGO opposing the project. The court said: “You don’t want industrialisation?” When the NGO Rashtriya Kisan Dal’s chief H.K. Thaker alleged around 1100 acres of fertile agricultural land of 4,000 farmers has been given to Tata Motors at Rs 410 crore, the bench grilled him for filing the PIL.
Do you know whether people, whose land has been acquired, have been awarded compensation or not?” the court said. When he replied in negative, the court questioned his credentials.
Protest rally
Meanwhile, around 4,000 people, mostly farmers, on Monday took out a rally against land acquisition by Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in villages near Sanand.
GIDC has initiated process for acquiring more than 5,000 acre for industrial purpose in villages like Aripura, Charal, Bol and Siyawada near Sanand.