Farmers to protest Gujarat government move to "hand over" 28,000 ha for proposed Dholera Smart City

Farmers of Dholera SIR region

By A Representative
Opposition to the Gujarat government decision to “hand over” 28,503 hectares (ha) of land to the special purpose vehicle (SPV) formed by it – Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority (DSIRDA) – for developing Smart City in the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) is all set to raise its head.
Plans have been worked out to begin a padyatra protest over several days across the Dholera SIR, which is situated about 90 kilometres south of Ahmedabad, along the Gulf of Khambhat.
A statement issued by the Bhal Bachao Andolan, which operates under the umbrella of the land rights movement, Jameen Adhikar Andolan Gujarat (JAAG), which is leading the protest, says that the villagers have decided to “call on the Ahmedabad district collector to press for their demand” not to hand over the land to the SPV.
“The people of the 22 villages comprising the proposed Dholera SIR are angry at the games that the Gujarat government is playing with them”, says JAAG, adding, “The people are very angry that the government has, without any consultation with the villagers, taken a decision to sell 28,000 ha of land at Rs. 600 per sq metres rate to SVP for infrastructure development.”
Significantly, the move follows farmers in the Dholera region getting notices to hand over 50 per cent of land in the name of infrastructure, citing the town planning law, to be applied in the Dholera SIR region.
“The other serious issue is of decommanding of the earlier recommanded area from the Narmada Irrigation Project”, the statement points out, adding, the consultations should be held after the formation of “land kacheris.”
“In order to press with their demands for recommanding the decommanded zone, and holding ‘land kacheris’, the people of DSIR area have decided to take out a padyatra (foot march) from village Bavaliary.
The padyatra, to be held over a period of six days, will pass through Sandhida, Dholera and Ambali on the first day; Pipli and Moti Boru villages on the second day; Varana, Vataman, Ganol and Simej on the third day; Ambareli, Dholka, Chaloda and Badarkha on the fourth day; Bhat, Visalpur, and Sarkhej on the fifth day; and it would conclude on the fourth day, reaching the collector's office, Ahmedabad via Ashtram Road.
“The padyatra will end on November 3, 2015 when a memorandum will be submitted to clear farmers' land titles and promulgate land records”, the statement says.
The decision to hand over 28,503 ha of land to the DSIRDA was announced following a Cabinet meeting in September-end, where the Gujarat government claimed, the land that would be handed over belongs to the state.
"Gujarat government has now become the largest stake- holder in the company. As we are giving our land at Rs 600 per sq meter, state government's stake stands at 51 per cent," said Cabinet minister Nitin Patel announced following the Cabinet meeting.
Though Patel refused to divulge details, an official is said to have told reporters that 28,500 ha of land would be handed over at the coast of Rs 17,000 crore.
Dholera SIR, spread over 920 sq km, is proposed to be developed as one of the key business destinations to be developed under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC).
So far, investors have refused to come and buy up any land, despite efforts by the Gujarat government through Vibrant Gujarat business summits.

Comments

When democracy becomes a performance: The Tibetan exile experience

By Tseten Lhundup* I was born in Bylakuppe, one of the largest Tibetan settlements in southern India. From childhood, I grew up in simple barracks, along muddy roads, and in fields with limited resources. Over the years, I have watched our democratic system slowly erode. Observing the recent budget session of the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile, these “democratic procedures” appear grand and orderly on the surface, yet in reality they amount to little more than empty formalities. The parliamentarians seem largely disconnected from the everyday struggles faced by ordinary exiled Tibetans like us.

Study links sanctions to 500,000 deaths annually leading to rise in global backlash

By Bharat Dogra International opinion is increasingly turning against the expanding burden of sanctions imposed on a growing number of countries. These measures are contributing to humanitarian crises, intensifying domestic discord, and heightening international tensions, thereby increasing the risks of conflicts and wars.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge — Blurring the line between fiction and political narrative

By Mohd. Ziyaullah Khan* "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" does not wait to be remembered; it arrives almost on the heels of its predecessor, released on March 19, 2026, just months after the first film’s December 2025 debut. The speed of its arrival feels less like creative urgency and more like calculated timing—cinema responding not to storytelling rhythm but to the emotional climate of its audience. Director Aditya Dhar, along with actor Yami Gautam, appears acutely aware of this moment and how to harness it.

Beyond the island: Top mythologist reorients the geography of the Ramayana

By Jag Jivan In a compelling new analysis that challenges conventional geographical assumptions about the ancient epic, writer and mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik has traced the roots of the Ramayana to the forests and river systems of Central and Eastern India, rather than the peninsular south or the modern island nation of Sri Lanka.

BJP accounts for 99% of political donations in Gujarat: Corporate giants dominate

By Jag Jivan An analysis of the official data on donations received by national parties from Gujarat during the Financial Year 2024-25 reveals a staggering concentration of funding, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accounting for nearly the entirety of the contributions. The data, compiled in a document titled "National Parties donations received from Gujarat during FY-2024-25," lists thousands of transactions, painting a detailed picture of the financial backing for political parties from one of India’s most industrially significant states.

Alarming decline in India's repair culture threatens circular economy goals: Study

By Jag Jivan A comprehensive new study by environmental research and advocacy organisation Toxics Link has painted a worrying picture of India's fading repair culture, warning that the trend towards replacement over repair is accelerating the country's already critical e-waste crisis.

Captains extraordinaire: Ranking cricket’s most influential skippers

By Harsh Thakor* Ranking the greatest cricket captains is a subjective exercise, often sparking passionate debate among fans. The following list is not merely a tally of wins and losses; it is an assessment of leadership’s deeper impact. My criteria fuse a captain’s playing record with their tactical skill, placing the highest consideration on their ability to reshape a team’s fortunes and inspire those around them. A captain who inherited a dominant empire is judged differently from one who resurrected a nation’s cricket from the doldrums. With that in mind, here is my perspective on the finest leaders the game has ever seen.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

‘No merit’ in Chakraborty’s claims: Personal ethics talk sans details raises questions

By Jag Jivan A recent opinion piece published in The Quint by Subhash Chandra Garg has raised questions over the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Atanu Chakraborty from HDFC Bank , with Garg stating that the exit “raises doubts about his own ‘ethics’.” Garg, currently Chief Policy Advisor at Subhanjali and former Secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, writes that the Reserve Bank of India ( RBI ) appears to find no substance in Chakraborty’s claims, noting, “It is clear the RBI sees no merit in Atanu Chakraborty’s wild and vague assertions.”

Search This Blog