Mehsana: A resentment is brewing among farmers and residents of villages on the eastern outskirts of Mehsana following the municipal corporation’s proposed Development Plan 2047, which earmarks large tracts of agricultural land for roads and industrial use.

Villagers, particularly from Tavadiya, have submitted a representation to the Additional Collector opposing the plan. The proposal includes a ring road, Development Plan (DP) roads ranging from 12 to 80 metres in width, and the declaration of an industrial zone. They allege that the plan has been drafted without taking local stakeholders into confidence.

According to the representation, nearly 95% of Tavadiya’s population depends on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood. The village produces around 1.4 lakh litres of milk every month. Farmers fear that large-scale land acquisition under the proposed plan would render many small landholders landless, as nearly 90% of farmers own between one and five bighas of land.

The opposition is not limited to Tavadiya. Farmers from at least 11 villages — including Dela, Ucharpi, Rampura, Hebuva, Shobhasan, Kukas, Lakhvad, Virampura, Detrojpura, and Rupal — have come together to form a “Jamin Bachao Action Committee” to collectively resist the plan.

The controversy centres around Development Plan 2047, which proposes converting the entire eastern belt into an industrial zone. In addition, three major road projects — the Tharad-Ahmedabad Expressway, the Mehsana-Idar National Highway, and the proposed 80-metre ring road — are planned, raising concerns about the fragmentation of fertile agricultural land.

Farmers allege that clustering multiple highways in close proximity will break up cultivable land into unviable fragments, jeopardising both farming and dairy activities. “We are not against development, but not at the cost of farmers’ survival,” local representatives said, questioning whether such projects would lead to development or destruction.

They further claim that once land is designated as an industrial zone, farmers may no longer be permitted to carry out agricultural or animal husbandry activities on their own land, effectively stripping them of their primary source of income.

Warning of escalation, villagers have threatened to boycott the upcoming Mehsana Municipal Corporation elections if their demands are not addressed. They have also indicated their readiness to launch a non-violent agitation, following Gandhian principles, if required.

The affected communities have demanded the immediate withdrawal of the proposed industrial zone and road infrastructure projects, citing concerns over livelihoods, social fabric, and the future of coming generations. DeshGujarat