Agreement to give entire grazing land to reliance for solar project; Villagers move HC, Deposit Rs 5 lakh in appellate bench

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

Villagers have filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Aurangabad bench of the Mumbai High Court challenging Mahavitaran’s decision to allot the entire 20-acre grazing land of Mhasobachi Wadi (Aashti tehsil, Beed District) to Reliance for a solar energy project. The land in question is reserved for grazing over 3,000 livestock.

Following orders from Justice Vibha Kankanwadi and Justice Hiten Venegavkar, the petitioners deposited Rs 5 lakh with the bench to prove the bonafide nature of their PIL. The petition requests that the diversion of this grazing land be declared illegal and that the entire land remain reserved for grazing.

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Details of the Petition:

In Mhasobachi Wadi, Plot No. 143, approximately 19.50 acres are reserved for grazing over 3,000 livestock. Under the “Mukhyamantri Solar Krishi Vahini Yojana 2.0”, the village had agreed via Gram Panchayat resolution and No Objection Certificate (NOC) to allot 9 acres of land for providing continuous and sustainable electricity to farmers’ irrigation pumps.

However, on March 29, 2024, Reliance and Mahavitaran entered into a direct agreement allocating the entire 20 acres of grazing land for a solar power project. As a result, villagers Dnyaneshwar Shekade and others, through Advocate Janardan Murkute, filed the PIL.

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Government Guidelines:

According to the May 28, 2023 government decision, it is the government’s responsibility to provide land for such projects, usually via the District Collector. If government land is unavailable, it may be leased. Under Section 22(A) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Act, grazing land should ideally not be diverted, and alternative land should be considered.

In this case, petitioners claim that the District Collector did not allot any alternative land. Instead, Reliance and Mahavitaran executed a direct agreement without any tender process, which the petitioners contend is illegal.