Neemuch (Madhya Pradesh): The sustained protest by farmers and villagers of Sagrana village in Neemuch district against the proposed Gold Crest Cement factory began yielding visible results.
What villagers
described as “corporate arrogance” appeared to weaken in the face of unprecedented unity shown by the local community, which has been agitating to protect its land, ancestral pathways and livelihood.
After three consecutive days of protest, the administration was compelled to reach the village on Friday and conduct a Gram Sabha meeting with the villagers. During gathering, irked locals directly questioned both factory representatives and officials over alleged violations.
SDM Sanjeev Sahu, CSP Kiran Chauhan, Tehsildar Sanjay Malviya and SHO Nilesh Awasthi sat on mats in the open fields as villagers raised serious allegations against the cement company. Farmers accused the management of blocking ancestral public pathways, forcibly erecting boundary walls on agricultural land and misbehaving with villagers.
Factory representatives, questioned in the presence of officials, reportedly failed to provide satisfactory answers.
Village sarpanch Rani Vikram Singh Sondhiya said there was deep resentment among villagers, which had earlier led to road blockades. She asserted that elected representatives stand firmly with the villagers and urged outsiders not to interfere in the issue.
During the meeting, the Sagrana Bachao Sangharsh Samiti submitted a 15-point memorandum to the administration. The memorandum demanded removal of walls from ancestral routes, construction of a 30-foot-wide paved alternative road before any diversion, written consent before any land acquisition, permanent employment for one member of each affected family and allocation of 50 bighas for a cowshed.
SDM Sanjeev Sahu said that 12 to 13 major demands were raised and assured that all issues, including road demarcation and land disputes, would be examined seriously. He said that justice would be ensured and no one would be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
