A piece of 12 hectares of land in Gobalaj village of Kheda district has become the bone of contention between the villagers and Snesh Resort Private Limited (SRPL), the company under whose name the above-mentioned gauchar (village grazing) land was transferred by the state government in 1996.

The issue dates back to September 3, 1996, when the land was transferred to the company under the then announced ‘New Tourism Policy 1995’ for construction of a resort-cum-motel.

Incidentally the letter issued by the district collector on the same date, while enlisting the conditions of the land-transfer deal, mentions that ‘the land is being transferred under the new land tenure policy of the state government and it cannot be sold, transferred, leased or mortgaged without the prior permission of the District Collector.’ It also enumerates the development works that the company would undertake in the village in lieu of the land acquisition.

SRPL approached the district administration for permission to sell off the land citing financial liabilities, a move that has been strongly opposed by the Gobalaj gram panchayat. The panchayat has also made a representation to the district collector detailing its objection to this.

Leela Desai, a member of the panchayat, said: “The company had promised to repair streetlights in the village, construct RCC roads, deposit Rs 2 lakh in the bank from which fodder will be bought for livestock, and deposit Re 1 per head in the village development fund, on every customer the resort entertains.”

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