Rajiv
Shah, TNN Jun 6, 2012, 12.27AM IST
GANDHINAGAR:
A senior Congress leader from Bharuch, known to be close to Congress
president Sonia Gandhi's political advisor Ahmed Patel, has strongly
protested against what has called "encroachment" of common
village land by two Central government public sector undertakings
(PSUs). Congress whip Iqbal Patel has claimed that Petronet LNG and
Oil and Natural Gas Natural Commission (ONGC) are carrying out
commercial activities on government land in Vagra taluka.
In
his representation, Iqbal Patel has taken strong exception to
Petronet LNG having "cornered" 50 hectares (ha) of land,
belonging to Moje-Luvara village of Vagra in Bharuch district. In his
letters to top state officials, including principal secretary for
revenue, principal secretary for industry, and managing director of
Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), he has sought
"immediate cancellation" of allocation of land to both
Petronet LNG and ONGC saying it is "against the law".
The
letter to principal secretary, revenue, says, "The 50 ha land
which has been given to Petronet LNG is government wasteland. The
allocation of land to the PSU is illegal. The land is meant for
common use of villagers. With the land having gone, villagers have
been deprived of common facilities like school, grazing for cattle,
playground for children, and village pond."
Patel
said, "Despite the fact that the village sarpanch,Niruaben
Jayantibhai Ahir, represented to the authorities concerned, including
the mamlatdar and the authorities in the local Dahej GIDC estate, the
government has refused to act. Therefore, I decided to act on behalf
of the villagers, as the area is part of my assembly constituency."
The village has apopulation of 1,400.
Both
Ahmed Patel and Iqbal Patel hail from Bharuch. Legislator from
minority-dominated Vagra, he is a long-time protege of the Congress
president's advisor. He told TOI, "I have asked Petronet LNG to
reject the land offered by the state government, but they have not
responded positively so far." He said, he had also raised
objection to ONGC, "encroaching" 6.44 ha of land in the
vicinity of the village.
Patel,
who handed over copies of his letters to TOI, said, "Big
industrial units are being handed over prized land, acquired by the
GIDC in Dahej region, at a very cheap rate. Cornering common village
land is illegal. "
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