Farmers warn Chakka Jam on October 2

LOKMAT NEWS NETWORK

Nashik, Sep 20

Affected by land acquisition for the Surat-Chennai Greenfield Highway, farmers have warned of road block agitation across the state if their demand of Rs 2 crore per acre compensation is not met.

Earlier, on Monday, September 19, the committee of the project-affected farmers, Surat-Chennai Sangharsh Kruti Samiti, staged a march at the Collectorate for the demand that the direct purchase of land should pay five times for the Surat-Chennai Greenfield Highway.

A memorandum of demands was given to Collector Jalaj Sharma by the members of the Surat-Chennai Sangharsh Samiti. The project-affected farmers also held a discussion with the Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, and took a strong stand for their demands.

It is said in the memorandum that 998 hectares of land will be acquired for the project in Peth, Dindori, Nashik, Niphad, and Sinnar talukas. In most of the villages, the administration officials have not taken into consideration the ready reckoner and any other factors while announcing the land acquisition. Land acquisition authorities have shown a very low valuation of land. Industrialisation has taken place in five talukas except Surgana. The farmers alleged that the land in this belt is in the D zone and the purchase price of the land is higher. Adv Prakash Shinde, Rajaram Kandekar, Vasant Pekhale, and hundreds of farmers participated in the march.

Info-

Major demands of agitators

- At the time of land acquisition, the price of houses, shops should be given value as per the ready reckoner.

-Acquisition should be only for unplotted land parcels.

- At the time of dispute settlements, payment should be made by classifying arable land, seasonal plantation, and perennial plantation

- Farmers should be given special concessional benefits as affected by the project

- There should be service roads, underpasses, and pipelines on both sides of the highway

- Locals should be given employment in road works

- Houses, cowsheds, farms, pipelines, poly-houses, and trees should be considered during dispute settlements.

- Land of Shree Manudevi, Dhondveer Mandir Devasthan of Adgaon should not be acquired.

Quote-

The opposition is not to the highway, the farmers are against the acquisition of land with wrong dispute settlements. Even though we have been fighting for the last two years, we have not got justice. Our main demand is that the union and state governments should cancel all the verdicts in the dispute settlements. Direct purchase of our lands should be given five times compensation and gross possible NA.

-Adv Prakash Shinde, Surat-Chennai Sangharsh Kruti Samiti.

Photo

R 19 Morcha