Over 5,000 farmers on Thursday submitted a memorandum to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi demanding cancellation of permission given to Nirma Ltd for setting up a cement plant in Bhavnagar district.
Nirma Ltd is building a cement plant with a capacity of 1.91 million tonnes per annum, along with its captive power and coke oven plant, near Padhiarka village in Mahuva taluka of Bhavnagar district.
Farmers from the villages in vicinity of the upcoming project, under BJP MLA Dr Kanubhai Kalsariya, had taken out a rally on March 3 in protest against the Nirma plant.
Kalsariya, who has gone against the party line in protesting against the project, said he was not "satisfied" with talks with the chief minister who "refused" to give any "commitment" to the farmers who had walked over 350 km from Dholiya village in Mahuva to Gandhinagar in a bid to save their agriculture land.
"Modi said the matter was in the court and whatever it decides, the government would abide by it. He did not give any commitment to farmers," said Kalsariya while addressing mediapersons after meeting the CM.
"This is not only the question of farmers of Mahuva. The voice of farmers across Gujarat was being suppressed and their land was being given to the industries without consulting them", he alleged.
The Mahuva MLA said the agitation against the government policy of promoting industries would continue and the farmers would take it to other parts of the state.