Ahmedabad: The Indian Railways has decided to acquire 2.86 lakh square meters of land between Geratpur and Sanand, dismissing all 131 objections raised by landowners, including farmers and owners of valuable non-agricultural (NA) land. Many landowners fear they will receive insufficient compensation for their land, where they had planned various projects.

Sources confirm a final decision to acquire the land, valued at over Rs 750 crore, for a new broad-gauge railway line. The Railway Department has issued a notification inviting objections, which will be followed by a notice to proceed with land possession and compensation.

The acquisition covers a 16.51 km stretch between Geratpur-Sanand and Botad-Ahmedabad, announced in an October 19, 2023 notification that estimated the value of the required 15 lakh square meters of land at over Rs 400 crore. This notification attracted no objections from the Okaf area but received 11 objections from Fatewadi, 18 from Navapura, and 20 from Bhadrabad, where landowners requested exemption from acquisition.

Many landowners argue that the compensation offered is below market value, particularly for NA land. A separate section of the project involves acquiring 1.36 lakh square meters for a 38.21 km line between Geratpur (Barejadi-Nandej) and Sanand, with land valued at approximately Rs 350 crore. In total, 60 plots will be acquired for this project.