Surat: The district collector of Surat has ordered an inquiry on Thursday into a complaint given by farmers over 100 hectare of land allotted for development of gems and jewellery park at Ichhapore, reports The Times of India.
A Surat District Panchayat member had submitted the application on behalf of the farmers.
Ichhapore and Hazira villagers allege that diamond company owners in Surat and Mumbai have committed the biggest scam in government land allotted for the setting up of gems and jewellery park at Ichhapore. The district panchayat member has demanded that the state government reclaim the land.
In a letter to district collector, Darshan Nayak stated that Gujarat Hira Bourse (GHB) was allotted 100 hectare land at Ichhapore for the setting up of the gems and jewellery SEZ park by the state government in 2004. The GHB was supposed to set up 350 manufacturing units at a cost of Rs400 crore, carry out diamond and jewellery exports to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore per annum and provide employment to one lakh people.
The central government denotified the SEZ Park at Ichhapore in 2014 following an application from the GHB office-bearers.
Janak Patel, a farmer from Ichhapore village, said, “There is a ruling by Supreme Court that the land reserved and allotted for industrial use should be given back if the purpose was not fulfilled. Here, the GHB has not fulfilled the purpose and that the plot holders had sold the plots internally. We demand that the state government reallot the land to the farmers.”
Darshan Nayak told TOI, “The entire purpose of the land was altered when the diamond companies sold plots at high rates. They had purchased the plots for Rs850 per square metre and sold it for over Rs 50,000 per square metre. The Central Government had allotted Rs 45 crore for infrastructure development to the GHB which has been siphoned off.”
A senior officer in the district collectorate said, “An inquiry has been ordered and it will be conducted by the mamlatdar of Choriyasi. The inquiry report will be submitted to the deputy collector for further action.”
Despite repeated attempts, GHB president Chandrakant Sanghavi and secretary Nanu Vanani were not available for comments.
