Gujarat Government Accepts Key Farmer Demands on Land Compensation for Adani Power Project
The Gujarat government on Friday agreed to several key demands of farmers protesting in Jetpar village, Morbi, over compensation for land used for power infrastructure by Adani Energy Solutions Ltd (AESL). The decision came after a report on the three-week-long protest and a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled visit to Gujarat.
The government will now base compensation on the market price of the land instead of the jantri (circle) rate, and offer double the market price. While this is a significant concession, it remains lower than the farmers' demand of 400% of market price. Farmers stated the agitation would continue until a Government Resolution (GR) formalizing the demands is issued.
The protest concerns a 756 kV DC transmission line by Halvad Transmission Limited, a special purpose vehicle of AESL, stretching 246 km from Khavda, Kutch, to Halvad, Morbi. Gujarat Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani said the government studied policies in other states and decided to increase compensation to ensure fair, market-based payments for farmers.
Under the new formula, compensation will be calculated on a larger area than the tower's base. For a 765 kV line, the area used increased from 625 square metres to 729 square metres. The government also accepted the demand for a Market Rate Committee (MRC) to determine actual market prices neutrally and transparently. The MRC will be headed by the district collector and include farmer representatives, an authorized market valuer nominated by farmers, and representatives of the transmission service provider with an authorized valuer.
Compensation will now be paid in a single advance installment, replacing the previous staggered three-installment system. Farmers had also demanded separate compensation slabs for the Right of Way (RoW) area in rural, municipality, and municipal corporation zones.
Principal Secretary Ashwini Kumar emphasized that including farmer representatives ensures transparency and protects farmers' interests during valuation. The government's decisions aim to address the farmers' concerns while facilitating the power infrastructure project.
