Villagers submit objections to ‘Third Mumbai’ plan, threaten massive stir
NAVI MUMBAI: Villagers of Uran, Panvel, and Pen areas of Raigad district, where the state has proposed a mega township of ‘Third Mumbai’, submitted their objections to the government on Wednesday and vehemently opposed their land acquisition for the project.
The villagers, who are accusing the government of attempting to render their community landless to benefit capitalists, have threatened to launch a massive agitation involving lakhs of people if the notification is not withdrawn.
The state government, on March 4, issued notifications handing over 124 villages around the MTHL for development to the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) headed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).
The villagers were responding to the 30-day period given by the government to submit objections to the plan. Under the aegis of “MMRDA Virodhi Shetkari
Samiti, Raigad” the objections were submitted by gram panchayat members, social activists and political leaders representing various villages at the Konkan Bhavan office of the assistant director of town planning (ADTP) in Belapur. The villagers raised slogans against the plan and MMRDA.
Kailas Mhatre, an engineer from Khopta village, said “Ask the government to sterilise us so that we will not have kids and our families will not grow further.” Mhatre added, “There has not been any gaothan expansion since British rule. Can’t the government see on map that houses are coming up in gaothan areas. How can it then plan to acquire this land from us and later term them illegal constructions.”
Gorakh Thakur from Khopta said, “We are ready to give our land for the project but on a 99-year-old lease just as how the government has given to others. We shall remain the owners.” He claimed, “This is a ploy to recover the ₹18,000 crore cost of MTHL”
Rupesh Patil, convenor of the Samiti said, “The state government has been coming up with plans but where is the development in all these years? Our forefathers have worked on this land for years. We are all qualified. We are capable of taking care of ourselves.”
Vinod Mhatre, Uran Congress President and a former zilla parishad member said, “The government’s concept of developing the area is misplaced. We are living a quality life. It should remove the MMRDA noose. Farmers are not going to tolerate any more attempts through any name or authority to take our land for the benefit of the capitalists.”
When contacted, ADTP Jitendra Bhople, said, “We are accepting the objections and suggestions as per the notification notice. The government will take these into account and a final order will be accordingly issued.”