DNA, Ahmedabad, 24 October 2013, Ahmedabad: Activists belonging to the Radical Socialist group have opposed the construction of the Statue of Unity on the grounds that it is being constructed at the cost of the land and livelihood of the tribals.
In a release, the activists stated that the 392ft-tall statue of the Iron Man of India as per a statement of the government website is being constructed to boost tourism and facilitate development in the surrounding tribal areas.
This “development” as envisaged around ‘Statue of Unity’ is through the Kevadia Area Development Authority (KADA) and is mainly for tourism. 16 villages will be affected due to the development, read the statement.
One of the activist Rohit Prajapati further stated that a letter by the KADA chief executive officer has threatened the sarpanchs of 52 villages adjoining the Sardar Sarovar Dam to agree to hand over their villages for tourism purpose or else they would face consequences.
The four-line letter (dated March 6, 2013) sent to the village sarpanchs requested 52 villages to send their approval for the use of their village for developmental purpose within seven days failing which action will be taken against them.
It should be noted that at present 16 villages are part of KADA, while the government planning to take the total number of villages coming under the scheme to 70.
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Tags: Kevadia Area Development Authority (KADA), Rohit Prajapati