Rickshaw Driver (Raju Bharwad) Returns 1.90cr Cheque To GIDC

Ahmedabad: This Raju is surely a gentleman! Raju Bharwad, an Amdavadi auto rickshaw driver, has refused a cheque of Rs 1.90 crore issued in his name and his mother Baluben by the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) in lieu of the state government acquiring his three bighas land in the vicinity of Tata’s Nano plant in Sanand.

    Today, he lives in a small two-room house in Vejalpur with his wife, three kids and mother. Ever since the Nano plant shifting from Singur to Sanand led to land prices skyrocketing in 2010, the local police records an average 50 FIRs and 100 land-grabbing and forgery cases every month.

    In this scenario, Raju could have legally pocketed the hefty sum, but the honest driver went from pillar to post to give an undertaking that he was no longer the owner of the land. He not only gave the cheque back, but also ensured that the names of the new owners are entered into official records.

    Raju’s family owned 10 bighas of land in Sanand. Thirty years ago, his grandfather sold three bighas for around Rs 5 lakh on which 40-odd families built small tenements.

    Later, Nano happened and land prices skyrocketed. GIDC acquired land around the Nano plant at Rs 28 lakh a bigha and started paying farmers in whose names the land was registered.

    Since the new owners had failed to register their names, records still listed Raju and his mother Baluben as owners.

    “Honesty is one thing my parents taught me. I could not have used money acquired through dishonesty for my family,” says Raju. His family collectively urged him to take the right step. In fact, his mother blessed him for his righteousness. “I may earn Rs 6,000 per month but live a life of dignity. I also have four bighas of land in my name which is good enough for the future of my family,” he adds.

    Naveen Patel, deputy mamlatdar at GIDC, said, “We have witnessed many land disputes but a person returning a cheque worth Rs 1.90 crore is a first.”

Raju Bharwad lives in a small two room house in Vejalpur with his wife, three kids and mother.