Farmers protesting highway expansion detained

Over 100 farmers, protesting the joint measurement survey undertaken by the Collectorate for expanding the Jetpur-Somnath-Veraval highway, were today detained by Junagadh police.
"Junagadh police detained 116 farmers, 69 women and 47 men, from Vanthali and Junagadh talukas of the district," Superintendent of Police (SP) Dipankar Trivedi told PTI.
The National Highway Authority of India has asked the state government to acquire land to extend the highway and the state government had asked District Collectorate to undertake mapping and measurement of the land.
Farmers claimed that two women, who were among those protesting, were injured in police lathi-charge.
"There was no lathi-charge by police. According to rules, before lathi-charge, police have to lob tear gas shells but we did not even lobbed tear gas shells," Trivedi said, adding some women, who were resisting the police, had to be detained forcefully.

Junagadh Collector Alok Kumar Pandey said that the Special Land Acquisition Officer carried out joint measurement survey of the land to be acquired.

Farmers belonging to 10 villages of Vanthali and Junagadh talukas in the district are protesting land acquisition on the ground that it is fertile.
Farmers claim that around 1,800 bigha land between Vadal crossroads to Koyli is planned to be acquired for Rs 117 crore.
"Instead, if the existing bypass is expanded, the total land affected would have been only 200 bigha, and the expense would be around Rs 39 crore," claims Atul Patel of Khedut Hitrakshak Samiti.

"However, the plans have been changed as expanding the existing bypass could have affected land of some influential politicians," Patel alleged.
"We were not allowed to even meet land survey officials to whom we wanted to submit a memorandum," Patel said, adding that the protests would continue tomorrow.
The agitation by farmers comes in the wake of protests by farmers on Mandal-Becharaji highway in Ahmedabad and Mehsana districts against the state government's move to notify the region as Special Investment Region.