Gujarat government has given green a signal to Nirma Ltd’s controversial cement plant in Mahuva. The company has been aiming to foray into cement production by setting up a 2.4 mt cement plant in Bhavnagar district for an estimated investment of Rs 1,000 crore.The land provisioned for the project includes wasteland and grazing land in Dudheri, Gajarda, Delia and Amlia villages located on the coastal belt of Mahuva.Residents of about a dozen villages in the Bhavnagar region had opposed the allotment of over 4,000 hectare of land to the Group for the cement project. The state government authorities have granted the land to the company stating that the area is saline and land is not fertile enough for cultivation.However, the villagers and farmers disagree and are optimistic about the fertility of the land as two dams are coming up in that region, which will provide the necessary irrigation water to the villagers.