Shivangaon softens to Mihan
Category :
City |
Posted Date :
04/08/2011
NAGPUR: In what may provide a major boost for Mihan, Shivangaon village that has so far been vehemently opposing project appears to be finally softening its stance. The residents here agreed to sit across the negotiating table with the government. After Pravin Darade, who recently took over as Joint Managing Director of Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), visited the village on Wednesday the residents agreed to allow the officials to conduct land measurements in the village.The measurement is being conducted to confirm their claim that the number of oustees is higher than the figure in official records. This also raises hopes for the proposed second runway of Mihan to finally take off. The runway, which will pass through 5.62 hectares of the village land that has not been taken over yet. The residents are holding on to the land demanding higher compensation for the land which has already been acquired by the MADC.Darade told reporters after the visit that government was open for doling out a higher amount for the land through a negotiated settlement. Oustees from Shivangaon and other villages have been recently offered Rs 37.5 lakh a hectare for 12.5% of their land acquired for the project. This is over and above the original compensation already paid that the owners claim is too low."While the oustees can fight court cases for increasing the original compensation, we are open for negotiations to hike the payout which has been pegged at Rs 37.5 lakh a hectare at present," he said.The residents of neighbouring Bhamti-Jaitala villages who have been offered a compensation of Rs 87.5 lakh per hectare are demanding up to Rs 1.5 crore, which may be considered during the next round of negotiations," he said. MADC will be taking 146 hectares of farmland in these two villages, the last patch to be acquired, said Darade.However, Baba Dawre, leader of Shivangaon oustees said a higher basic compensation for the land already taken over for the project remains the bone of contention. "Nothing less than Rs 1 crore an acre is acceptable. Unless this demand is accepted, the residents will not vacate Shivangaon," he said.Darade also wooed the residents with several other announcements. He said that the MADC board of directors had decided that each of the Shivangaon oustee would be compensated with exactly the same amount of land taken over for his homesteads. In other villages it is 3,000 sq metres for farmers and 1,500 sq metres for others.Arrangements for accommodating their cattle will also be made with a state-of-art shed run on a cooperative basis at Chinchbhuvan where the oustees will be rehabilitated. The rehabilitation site will have all modern civic amenities, he said.Bio-data of employable youth will be collected who will be also trained to get jobs. A weekly camp will be held in the village to tell them of various government schemes available to them and a panel to take note of grievances related to earlier acquisitions will also be set up, he said. He also surveyed the airport area in light of prevailing animal menace saying it will be actively taken up.
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