Gujarat farmers to march against bullet-train, so much for #KisanKiBaatPMKeSaath
Farmers will march across 192 villages in Gujarat to protest against the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train from June 22, media reports said. They said forceful land acquisition would leave their fertile lands useless. The march will cover villages affected by the corridor. Notably, the bullet train is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious project. Here are the details.
Starting from Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad, march to cover Gujarat
The march will be led by Gujarat Khedut Samaj (GKS) and start from Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad from June 22. The march will cover Anand, Ankleshwar, Navsari and Valsad. Jayesh Patel, president of GKS, alleged the government wasn't following the process of acquiring land. "No Environment Impact Assessment or Social Impact Assessment are conducted. Everything is on paper but nothing on the ground," he added.
Farmers' body plans to write to Japanese companies about hazards
The secretary of GKS, Sagar Rabari said they will send a compiled report to all Japanese companies involved in the Rs. 98,000 crore project. He had earlier alleged Japanese authorities were misled about the environmental hazards of the project. On Tuesday, 180 officials along with police were returned empty-handed from Wagaldhara village after farmers didn't allow them to conduct a survey.
Meanwhile, PM Modi talks about empowering farmers
While farmers are readying for a march, PM Modi in a country-wide video interaction with them on Wednesday claimed the BJP led Centre was working towards doubling their income by 2022. "Our effort is to provide farmers assistance at all stage of agriculture - at the time of sowing, after sowing and at the time of harvesting," he said.
Government emphasizing on soil health, claims PM Modi
"The government is emphasizing on soil health card so farmers can know nature of soil before they sow. Once the farmers know which kind of seeds would work best in the soil, they can ensure those good quality products are produced," PM Modi said.
