It was possible because of the State Government’s forceful representations up to the level of the apex court regarding land ownership of the Gaurishankar reservoir supplying water to the people of Bhavnagar among other issues in the larger interest of the people in this prolong legal battle.

The Supreme Court today rejected the Palitana Sugar Mills’ demand for crores of rupees as compensation for converting agricultural land for residential purpose, including 80-acre under survey number-471/2 and 18.23-acre under survey number-472 already granted for the reservoir. The Mills subsequently withdrew its petition.

The case involved land ownerships of about 930-acre under survey numbers 470, 471, 472 and 469 parts of which belonged to the erstwhile Bhavnagar rulers’ family. The case lasted long. It was evident from the original documents that the rulers had given away certain portions of the land to the Municipal Corporation for the people of Bhavnagar. As per the sales deeds of 1971, the rulers sold certain portions of the land to a firm named Palitana Sugar Mills.

The mills allegedly tried to grab the entire land in different courts, including the land under reservoir and its surrounding areas under survey numbers 471 and 472.

When the case came to the knowledge of Chief Minister Narendra Modi, he directed the state government to stand by its contention that the said 100-acre land for the reservoir can not be considered as a part of the land sold by the rulers. The land is widely known as Gaurishankar Talav. It may be recalled the petitioner had allegedly tried to malign the State Government on one count after another.