The Gujarat High Court (HC) has raised questions over the state governments allotment of more than 260 acres in Rajkot district near Wankaner to a private company for a paltry Rs 2.05 crore in 2009,without inviting applications from other players. Local villagers had opposed the allotment of the plot to Ajanta Infra Projects Private Limited. One of the villagers,Mustaq Baloch,filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the HC in this connection in 2009 after which the HC ordered a stay on any work at the site. Balochs counsel,Mukul Sinha,said that the plot includes a pond from which the villagers have been drawing water for their farms. But the land was allotted to the company without following rules for developing a water-park there. The entire irrigation canal was broken for starting construction of the unauthorised project, said Sinha. During the recent hearing of the petition,the Division Bench of Chief Justice S J Mukhopadhaya and Justice K M Thaker termed the collectors reply unsatisfactory and observed that the allotment was done in undue hurry. The court questioned whether the authorities considered the allotment will disturb the ecological balance at the site and asked the respondents to file affidavits giving details of steps taken prior to the allotment,including the ecological probability report obtained from any authority,if any. The court has ordered the Revenue and Forest secretaries to file affidavit whether Panchayats approval was obtained before the allotment. The court has asked the collector to remain present at the next hearing on February 7 and inspect the site to see if any work has been initiated in violation of the stay order.
