Ever since the implementation of the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act from December 2020, authorities have received over 4,000 applications of land grabbing, with the value of land in question pegged at over Rs 567 crore.
The value of Rs 567 crore has been arrived at by computing jantri value. The actual value of the land could be much higher, said market experts.
Between January and May this year, a total of 4,138 land-grabbing complaints have been filed in which FIRs have been registered against 728 persons in 196 cases. Other applications are in various stages of investigation. As per the official record of the state information department, a total of 28.55 lakh sq m of land has been reported as grabbed land. The state government has so far registered suo moto FIRs in 77 cases.
Additional chief secretary (revenue) Pankaj Kumar, who played a vital role in the preparation and implementation of the new act, said, “Under the state government’s new land-grabbing act, district authorities have been trained for strict implementation of the new act. All applications are being reviewed at the top level to ensure justice to all bona fide applicants.’’
He added, “The state government is also accepting land-grabbing applications online, and monitoring at all levels to ensure strict implementation.”
Under provisions of the law, convicted land-grabbers will face a minimum imprisonment of 10 years, which can extend upto 14 years.