Say Britons had taken the land from their ancestors on a 100-year lease

As the narrow road from Chharodi bus stand to the proposed site for the Nano plant suddenly bursts into unfamiliar commotion, rumblings of resistance seem to be gaining momentum among a section of farmers in the nearby villages regarding land rights and compensation issues.

Farmers from Khoda, Bhod, Amareli and Modasar are staking claim to the 1,100-acre land that has been given to the Tatas for setting up the Nano plant. They are saying the land belonged to their forefathers.

“The land was given to the British government by our forefathers on a 100-year- lease during the great famine. In 2002, when we asked for the land, we were told that the government had acquired the land in 1911,” said Meghrajsinh Chauhan from Bhod village.

He said: “We had no clue about the entire episode. We have been running from pillar to post to get our rights, but no one has ever bothered to give us a hearing.” But he is quick to add that the farmers have nothing against the Tatas coming here. “But we are the real owners of the land and we have got nothing in the deal. We should get our share of compensation. We’ll fight till the end for our rights. It was on our land that the Anand University campus was built,” he said.

He said their struggle for land rights did not start after the Tatas came here. “We have been fighting for the land, and it has gone unheard so far. We are now trying to resolve the issue through the court, if things don’t work out soon. We may have to resort to stronger measures like hunger strikes and so on,” he added.

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