Land Rights Standoff Escalates In Gujarat As Tribal Farmers Threaten To Approach PM Modi
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Fresh tension erupted on the border of Sagbara in Narmada district and Umarpada in Surat district after tribal farmers attempting to cultivate contested forest land were stopped by forest department officials, just a day after a 24-day hunger strike was called off.
Agitated over the administrative deadlock during the ongoing monsoon season, local tribal farmers have threatened to take their grievances directly to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Navsari on the 8th.
The renewed conflict follows a verbal agreement mediated by the State Forest Minister and a local Member of Parliament. Around 300 tribal farmers in the Haripura Round of Umarpada had been fasting for 24 days, demanding formal land rights under the Forest Rights Act, 2008. The agitation ended after officials assured them that their pending claims would be expedited.
However, when farmers returned to their fields the following day to sow tur (pigeon pea), forest department personnel blocked them, citing existing rules and legal restrictions.
Forest Department Stands Firm
Forest officials maintained that farmers will not be allowed on the land until the official committee verifies their evidence and issues formal certificates.
Under the Forest Rights Act, 2008, claimants cannot be evicted while their applications remain pending. The farmers insist they have cultivated this land traditionally across generations and submitted valid applications that remain bogged down in official books.
Crop Season at Risk
The timing of the standoff has left farmers anxious about losing their livelihood for the year. Monsoonal sowing is underway, and local cultivators fear that waiting up to 90 days for official verification will cause their entire crop cycle to fail.
With no immediate administrative resolution in sight, the state government finds itself in a tight spot as the dispute escalates right ahead of the Prime Minister’s high-profile arrival in the region.
