Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Hemant Khava was evicted from the Gujarat Legislative Assembly on Tuesday after he raised concerns over faulty land surveys while wearing a T-shirt with the slogan ‘Cancel Incorrect Land Surveys’. (Khoti jamin Mapani bandh kro)

Khava, who represents Jamjodhpur, stated that farmers in Gujarat have been struggling for the past 10 years due to errors in land measurement records. He pointed out that in 2016 alone, over 25,000 applications relating to land survey errors were submitted. However, in the last decade, out of 83,000 applications, only 13,000 have been resolved, while the rest are pending. 

He alleged that the surveys were conducted to benefit BJP-affiliated individuals rather than addressing farmers’ concerns.

Khava claimed that despite 160 MLAs being present in the Assembly, he was suspended without any official rule violation only because he wore a T-shirt highlighting the issue.

Addressing the Assembly, Khava cited an example from his constituency, stating that farmer Dev Navdariya from Modpar village in Lalpur taluka lost 2.8 acres of land from official records. Despite ten years of running from office to office, he is yet to receive justice.

In Jamnagar district, a total of 83,467 applications regarding post-promulgation land record corrections have been submitted to the District Land Records (DLR) office over the past ten years. 

However, only 13,500 applications have resulted in changes to land ownership records, while not a single application has led to corrections in village maps. Khava argued that without amendments in village maps, the errors cannot be considered resolved.

Commenting on the land survey issue, Khava highlighted that in 2009-10, a private agency was tasked with conducting land surveys across Gujarat under the promulgation process. However, while the survey was completed in just four years by 2014, the government has been working on correcting its errors for the past ten years, with no clear timeline for resolution.