Gadchiroli May 18 (District Correspondent) The state government is virtually looting the rich minerals of the district in the name of making Gadchiroli a steel Hub. The precious and fertile agricultural lands of the farmers are being acquired at very negligible rates for the interests of the corporates like Jindal’s JSW, alleged Mr. Vijay Wadettiwar, senior Congress leader while addressing a press conference at the circuit house here on Saturday afternoon.
Making it clear that his party is not at all opposed to the industries but it is against the exploitation of the farmers and open loot of forests, Wadettiwar demanded that all this should be immediately stopped and farmers should be given fair rates of at least Rs. 1 crores per hectare for their land. The Congress party will launch an intensive agitation to raise the issue, he warned.
JSW The lease of forest sanctioned to JSW was cancelled because he did not start the industry within the given time. The state government however trying its best to allot the lease in the same old rates which will cause a huge loss to the revenue of the government, Wadettiwar pointed out. If this happens, the government will lose Rs 5,000 crores per month royalty. In this transaction, all the three parties in power and their leaders are trying to benefit themselves instead of the government. They have nothing to do with the development of the district, he alleged.
The open auction of the forest lease should be done so that the government gets maximum revenue, he demanded.
Earlier, JSW had got the mining lease at the rate of just Rs 660 per tonne. In the recent auctions of 7 other iron ore mines in the state, the government has received a price of Rs 2200 to 2800 per tonne, he pointed out. The pockets of the ruling party are being filled to a huge extent, alleged Wadettiwar.
A large amount of fertile and irrigated land in Kurud, Kondhala, Nainpur, Wadegaon, Kokadi, Shivrajpur villages in Desaiganj taluka is going to be acquired for the industries at a very negligible rates that will cause severe loss to the farmers as their land will be snatched away. The members of the affected farmers be given employment, their land be acquired in phases and irrigated land be given to them in exchange of their land, Wadettiwar further demanded. The farmers are being ruined only for the profit of the company, he alleged.
The press conference was mainly attended by Gadchiroli chimur Lok Sabha Dr. Namdev Kirsan, Armori MLA Ramdas Masram, Congress District President Mahendra Brahmanawade, former Z.P. Vice President Manohar Poretti, Youth congress state secretary Adv. Vishwajeet kowase, former MC chief Adv. Ram Meshram, Mahila Congress’s Kavita Moharkar and others.
