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Land acquisition: Standing crop 'bulldozed', farmers detained in Bharuch district

By A Representative
The Gujarat government is known to hide behind Covid-19 pandemic for any major pro-poor policy change, but when it comes to land grabbing, the pandemic does not seem to bother it at all, senior farmer rights leader Sagar Rabari has alleged.
Citing how a large convoy of police, including officials from the district collector’s office and DySP, came rushing to Juna Diva village of Ankleshwar taluka of Bharuch district, he said, more than 40 farmers were detained even while bulldozing standing crops.
The land involved is meant for the proposed Vadodara-Mumbai Express Highway, the price of whose compensation to the farmers has still not been fixed, even though meetings have been going on between the district collector and the farmers.
“Shockingly, this land was not taken for immediate work like building a hospital in the epidemic, but for the Vadodara-Mumbai Express Highway”, he said.

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