Parimal
Dabhi
: Hadiyol, Sabarkantha, Tue Aug 28 2012, 06:10 hrs
Villagers
of Hadiyol near Himmatnagar in Sabarkantha district are up in arms
against the state government for taking back 27 acres of land from
the village panchayat to set up a medical college.
The
district revenue department
had given this gauchar (pastoral) land to the panchayat in 1983-84
for residential purpose for Hadiyol, a village of around 5,000
population. It had made 480 plots on it to construct homes for
villagers on demand. In 2007, 32 dalit families applied for plots and
were allocated the same with a condition that they have to complete
building within two years.
However,
in December last year, the government took back the entire piece of
land for breaching these conditions. The same land was subsequently
allotted for the construction of a government medical college.
This
decision did not go down well with the villagers who have been ardent
supporters of the ruling BJP. They are now protesting against the
move and the person leading them is the sarpanch and a BJP member,
Ketan Patel.
“I
am very disappointed with the government for taking back the land
without any notice... I am a BJP member, but I will fight this matter
out in the interest of villagers,” Patel said. “We do not have
enough pastoral land in the village and now we want to get the land –
excluding the 32 plots allotted to dalits — converted back into
gauchar land,” he added.
The
villagers have submitted a memorandum to the district collector and
are contemplating various ways to deal with any move to start work
for the proposed college.
The
lot of 32 dalits who have been allotted plots is more vociferous in
their protest. “We were given the land in 2007. And some of us have
done significant construction while spending personal money on
getting the plots surveyed and clearing the shrubs. And now, the
government is taking back the land. People like me have invested
their entire life’s earning for house on these plots,” said
Narandas Pandya, a dalit allottee.
The
government has given two reasons for taking back the land. For the 32
plots given to dalits, it said the condition to build homes in two
years was violated. The remaining land has been taken under
Government Management as the land was given under the condition that
the government could take back the land, if unallotted, at any point
of time, for any purpose.
Some
villagers have challenged the Revenue Department’s order to taken
their plots under government management at the appellate level. And
the concerned appellate authority has stayed the said order.
Resident
Additional Collector M J Thakkar said, “The Gram Panchayat was
given the land in 1983-84 and for around 27 years, they did nothing
with the land. And now, when the land is allotted for the medical
college, people are objecting.”
Minister
of state for home Praful Patel, who represents this part of
Sabarkantha as MLA, said, “I have definite information that
Congress is motivating public protest in the village. However, I am
not convinced that a BJP member who is a sarpanch of the village is
leading the protest. I know him very well.”
©
2012 The Indian Express Limited. All rights reserved
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