Salt producers can look for alternative land at Aliya bet

Worried salt producers found a saviour as forest department on Thursday offered Aliya bet near Bharuch for studying salt production potential.

Salt production in Gujarat may fall down by 25 lakh tonne a year as Kandla Port Trust (KPT) has asked salt producers to vacate 16,000 acres of land owned by the port.  According to industry sources, the volume of production is 25% of the total production of Gujarat and 12% of the country.

“We cannot interfere as the matter is sub-judice between KPT and others. Salt producers need to find alternative land. One of the alternatives can be Aliya bet near Bharuch. It is a 40,000 acre block. Salt producers can study the possibility of salt production potential there,” said principal secretary, forest and environment, Gujarat state, Dr SK Nanda.

Nanda was addressing an open house meeting of Indian Salt Manufacturers’ Association (ISMA) in the city on Thursday. “This is my suggestion to you to study tidal waves in the delta of Aliya bet. It promises a solution for an alternative land for salt production. It needs a detailed study and than a proposal can be submitted to the state government,” he added.

Aliya Bet, 25 kilometers from Bharuch, is a delta of the Narmada river and is the habitat of maldharis. This delta area disappeared and became saline wasteland due to ecological and geological changes in last 20 years. “It has a reserve forest area of around 6000 acres; however, 33000 acres of land can be made available for a seasonal business like salt production, boating, tourism, etc.” Nanda said.

Salt producers welcomed the suggestion from the government. “We will have to study the potential of salt production in the belt.

ISMA with the help of other salt producers will consider this proposal in detail. However, it should be noted that it takes at least five years to begin salt production even if land is under possession. This may be a medium term solution for us,” said president of ISMA, PN Rao.

Recently, Gujarat high court ruled against salt producers and maintained that KPT can vacate 16,000 acres of land given to salt producers on lease between 1960 and 1970.