Gujarat govt yet to regain 60% of given lands

Around 60% of land which was to be returned to the state for violation of norms are yet to be brought back in the state's possession. This was revealed in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday in response to queries raised during the Question Hour.

Data compiled on the basis of questions asked in the Assembly revealed that the state has ordered 1.2 crores sq mt of land to be taken back from various entities and individuals over violations of norms and agreements. Of these, 60.21 lakh sq mt of land is yet to be possessed by the government.

Among all districts, Amreli leads in terms of land (in sq mt) that is yet to be returned to the state. Of the 30.35 sq mt of land that the state was supposed to take back, 29.43 lakh sq mt of land is still not within the grasp of the government.

Congress said that land allotted to various units/individuals under certain norms and conditions continued to be in possession of such people despite violation of the agreement under which the land was given.

"The government, after issuing an order to take back the lands, did not bother about its strict implementation. Thus, the majority of the lands continue to be in possession of people to whom the lands were given," said the Congress.

The state on its part clarified that it could not take possession of many lands due to litigation. "In some cases, Model Code of Conduct was in force, in another, the aggrieved party had approached the local court and had sought a stay," the state said in the assembly.

Government records show that no order was passed for taking back the land in view of violations in Chhota Udepur, Surat, Mahisagar, Kheda and Mehsana.

In Ahmedabad, 1.92 lakh sq mt of land was to be taken back for violation of stipulated conditions, of which over 83,000 sq mt of land continue to be in possession of others despite the violation.

It should be noted that close to 200 units in Sananda alone were asked to surrender their land to the GIDC after they failed to use it for the purpose for which it was taken.

Questions in the Assembly also revealed that despite a rule of the state that 85% of the employees in a unit should be drawn from the local population violation continues to occur. To a question on what actions the state government took against such units, the state said that they regularly held meeting with the concerned units to know the factors that prevented them from achieving the 85% limit and took steps to ensure that these roadblocks were removed. The state, however, did not say if any action was taken against any of the units for failing to fulfill the norms.

Out Of GRASP

State cites various litigations as roadblocks

• 1.2 cr sq mt of land to be taken back from various entities and individuals 
• 60.21 L sq mt of land is yet to be possessed by the state government

No Action Taken

Despite a rule of the state that 85% of the employees in a unit should be drawn from the local population violation continues to occur. To a question on what actions the state government took against such units, the state said that they regularly held meetings with the concerned units to know the factors that prevented them from achieving the 85% limit and took steps to ensure that these roadblocks were removed. The state, however, did not say if any action was taken against any of the units for failing to fulfill the norms