The protesters have made it clear that they will not negotiate with the administration until construction work is halted.
According to Gujarati daily Sandesh, the farmers have submitted a six-point charter of demands. Chief among them is compensation at 400 per cent of the market value of the land, similar to the package offered to farmers in Rajasthan, rather than compensation based on Gujarat’s jantri (official circle) rates.
Farmers also allege discrimination in compensation. Citing earlier projects along the same corridor, they claim that landowners affected in 2021 received substantially higher compensation with some receiving up to Rs 1 lakh per pole. However, farmers in Halvad are now reportedly being offered only Rs 50,000 per pole, far below the compensation paid in neighbouring areas.
The protesters argue that once the transmission towers are erected, the land beneath and around them becomes effectively unusable for cultivation, leading to a permanent loss of productive agricultural land and reduced farm incomes.
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