<p>The Gujarat High Court on Thursday asked for maintaining status quo in the high-profile, multi-crore Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) industrial project.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Conceptualised and announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007, when he was the chief minister Gujarat, the state government proposes to develop Dholera SIR, spread over 920 sq km, as one of the key business destinations under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The order came in the wake of a petition filed by residents of 22 villages in Dholera taluka, whose land the government proposed to acquire. In their 2014 petition, the villagers sought the high court to declare the SIR Act of 2009 as unconstitutional. <br /><br />They alleged that as per Section 17 of the Act, the Gujarat government “can apply the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act under which it has the right to take away 50 per cent of farmers’ land without compensation.”<br /><br />The legislation, they claimed, also violates the constitutional provisions by restricting the powers of the local panchayat by issuing a mere notification.<br /><br />Granting the stay, a division bench of the high court, comprising acting chief justice Jayant Patel and justice V M Pancholi, issued notice to the Gujarat government to explain why the Gujarat SIR Act 2009 not be declared ultra vires. Dholera SIR is expected to attract investment over Rs 1,00,000 crore and create more than 3.40 lakh direct jobs.</p>
<p>The Gujarat High Court on Thursday asked for maintaining status quo in the high-profile, multi-crore Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) industrial project.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Conceptualised and announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2007, when he was the chief minister Gujarat, the state government proposes to develop Dholera SIR, spread over 920 sq km, as one of the key business destinations under the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC). The order came in the wake of a petition filed by residents of 22 villages in Dholera taluka, whose land the government proposed to acquire. In their 2014 petition, the villagers sought the high court to declare the SIR Act of 2009 as unconstitutional. <br /><br />They alleged that as per Section 17 of the Act, the Gujarat government “can apply the Gujarat Town Planning and Urban Development Act under which it has the right to take away 50 per cent of farmers’ land without compensation.”<br /><br />The legislation, they claimed, also violates the constitutional provisions by restricting the powers of the local panchayat by issuing a mere notification.<br /><br />Granting the stay, a division bench of the high court, comprising acting chief justice Jayant Patel and justice V M Pancholi, issued notice to the Gujarat government to explain why the Gujarat SIR Act 2009 not be declared ultra vires. Dholera SIR is expected to attract investment over Rs 1,00,000 crore and create more than 3.40 lakh direct jobs.</p>
