Indore News: Riding On 1000 Tractors, Farmers Hold Protest Against Green Field Corridor

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): Thousands of farmers from Indore and Ujjain districts staged a massive protest in Indore on Wednesday, demanding the cancellation of the Indore-Ujjain Green Field Corridor project.

The protesters also called for an increase in compensation rates for land acquisition and urged the government to purchase soybean at the Minimum Support Price (MSP).

The demonstration saw several farmers arriving from Hatod and nearby villages, with nearly 1,000 tractors joining the rally. The protesters raised slogans against both the ruling government and the opposition Congress, accusing them of ignoring farmers’ interests.

The large-scale protest led to a two-kilometer-long traffic jam on Dhar Road, causing major inconvenience to commuters. Long queues of vehicles were seen as the tractor rally moved toward the city.

Farmers stopped on their way to collectorate

The farmers initially planned to take their tractors all the way to the collectorate to submit a memorandum, but the administration stopped them near Noorani Nagar on Dhar Road. During the rally, Karni Sena national president Jivan Singh Sherpur addressed the farmers, urging them not to allow political leaders into their villages during the upcoming elections unless they address farmers’ issues.

After negotiations, the protest leaders submitted a memorandum of demands to additional district magistrate (ADM) Roshan Roy, following which the demonstration was peacefully concluded.

Green field corridor to affect 28 villages

The Indore-Ujjain Green Field Corridor project is expected to impact 28 villages—20 in Indore district’s Sanwer and Hatod tehsils, and 8 in Ujjain district. The project involves the acquisition of nearly 188 hectares of fertile farmland, much of which forms the main source of livelihood for local farmers.

Many farmers allege that either their entire landholdings will be acquired or the new road will cut through their fields, severely affecting agricultural operations.

Allegations of inadequate survey and planning

Farmer leader Bablu Jadhav criticised the government, claiming the project was approved without a proper survey or assessment of its impact. “The government has implemented this plan without understanding the ground realities. This threatens the livelihood of hundreds of farmers,” he said.

Jadhav argued that the corridor is being developed primarily with the upcoming 2028 Simhastha festival in Ujjain in mind. “There are already several routes to Ujjain that could be widened to meet the same purpose. There is no need to destroy fertile farmland,” he added.

Anger over compensation and crop prices

Farmers also expressed frustration over what they called unfair compensation for the acquired land. “The government talks about paying double compensation as per guidelines, but in reality, land prices in the area have increased fivefold,” said Virendra Chauhan, a farmer from Kankaria village.

Protesters further demanded that soybean procurement be carried out at the declared MSP, pointing out that the current market price is too low to cover production costs.

As the rally concluded, farmer leaders warned that if their demands are not met soon, they would intensify the agitation across Madhya Pradesh.

[Story by Staff Reporter]