Government Shows Compassion to Farmers: 200% Increase for Transmission Towers on Agricultural Land

Under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, the state government has taken another farmer-friendly decision. This decision, as Energy Minister Kanubhai Desai mentioned, is significant as it reflects the state government’s attention to farmers’ demands. Due to the installation of transmission lines and towers in agricultural fields leading to losses of land, crops, and fruit-bearing trees, the compensation provided by the state government has been increased in recent years.

A 200% Increase in Compensation for Encroachment

As per the current guidelines, improvements made in transmission towers will be compensated for the loss of land beneath the tower-based expansion (portion between tower’s four legs). This compensation will be calculated by the government’s present online mechanism, taking 200% of the local rate as compensation.

What If the State Government Doesn’t Increase Compensation?

If the state government fails to make any improvements in the guidelines, there will be an annual increase (escalation) of 10% in compensation.

Compensation Will Increase by 25% Instead of 15% in Land Expansion

Due to the state government’s farmer-friendly decision, the compensation currently received is estimated to double. Discussions on the Right of Way corridor concluded that the government has also made improvements in compensations for losses incurred due to transmission lines. The compensation for encroachment on agricultural land will also be increased from 15% to 25% as per the government’s present online mechanism. If the state government fails to make any improvements, there will be an annual escalation of 10% in compensation.

It is noteworthy that under the Gujarat Government’s resolution of August 14, 2017, improvements have been made in compensation from December 2021 onwards for farmers’ benefits, with an additional increase in compensation for farmers’ benefits every two years, as mentioned.