Farmers hold tractor rally to protest against land acquisition for Indore-Pithampur economic corridor project in MP 

Farmers protested with tractors on Thursday in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on the call of the opposition Congress against acquisition of what they claim is fertile agricultural land.

Indore: Farmers protested with tractors on Thursday in Indore in Madhya Pradesh on the call of the opposition Congress against acquisition of what they claim is fertile agricultural land for the state government’s ambitious Indore-Pithampur Economic Corridor project.

The project will come up on 3200 acres of land and the protest during the day had participants from 16 villages. Farmers of Rau here are also affected.

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Among those who took part were Indian Youth Congress president BV Srinivas and Congress Yuva Morcha MP units chief Vikrant Bhuria.

The protesters claimed government compensation for land was lower than the current market price, with many vowing to not part with their fertile lands.

The tractor rally was scheduled to end at the city’s IT Park intersection but it was stopped by authorities a few kilometres from it citing traffic disruption, farmers claimed.

“Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has already said land will not be acquired across the state without the consent of farmers. Then why is the state government showing stubbornness in developing the economic corridor despite the long-standing protest of the farmers,” local Congress MLA Jitu Patwari questioned.

As part of the project, a 19.60 kilometre long road is to be built between Indore and Pithampur, with 300 metres of private land and farms on both sides that would be developed as an economic investment zone, officials said.

These officials said the project will attract investment to the tune of Rs 15,000 crore and will provide direct and indirect employment to more than one lakh persons.