Maharashtra’s agrarian crisis Farmers threaten mass suicide to stop corridor

As if the ongoing farmers’ stir over loan waiver and a host of other demands was not enough, outfits opposing the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi corridor have threatened mass suicide if the state government’s ambitious project is not shelved immediately.

During a tour of the villages — Amane, Pisa-Chiradpada (Bhiwandi), Utane-Chinchawali, Falegaon, Udhind (Kalyan), Sathgaon and Birwadi (Shahapur) — farmers who would lose their land openly spoke against the project. At Amane village, where Samruddhi corridor begins next to the existing MumbaiAgra National Highway 6, farmers would be displaced.

According to Sitaram Dhamane, 16 families and around 100 acres will be acquired for the project. The population of the village is 1,200 and vegetables, flowers and pulses are the major crops grown. “We earn Rs 3 lakh per year by growing flowers, especially jasmine, and rice. If we will lose our agricultural land, there is no option but to commit suicide,” Dhamane told Free Press

Journal. He alleged that fertile land is being acquired sparing land on which large warehouses have been built because they are owned by BJP leaders from Bhiwandi.

Vinod Shiwram Kashiwale from Chinchwali added, “We would first like know what kind of compensation we would get. Government officials pretend that they don’t know anything.”

Chinchwali, a village with 1,700 habitation, is another that will be impacted by the acquisition. When villagers protested, they were lathicharged by police. 65-year-old Kamlabai Vaman Kashule, who was even arrested for agitating, said, “Over 500 policemen were deployed during measurement of our land. I was not even allowed to get out of my house.”

We earn Rs 3 lakh per year by growing flowers, especially jasmine, and rice. If we will lose our land, there is no option but to commit suicide — Sitaram Dhamane, farmer I am aware of the devastation that the corridor will cause. CM Fadnavis is claiming that 96% of the land has been measured, but this is not true — Vaman Kashule, farmer

In protest against what was going on, Chandrakant Bhoir, the taluka chief of the BJP from Falegaon, resigned from his post. Bhoir now is a leading light of the Sangharsh Samiti formed to oppose the highway and smart city project. “I am aware of the devastation that the corridor will cause. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is claiming that 96 per cent of the land has been measured, but this is not true,” he said.

“Not a single farmer has signed any panchnama,” added Haribhau Khade, former member of Thane Zilla Parishad. He hails from Birwadi, the village nearest to Bhatasa Dam, which provides drinking water to Mumbai.

“This is not democracy, it is dictatorship,” said Arun Khansalkar, another villager from the same village. “We are all ready to commit suicide,” he threatened.“Farmers are frustrated with the government,” said Baban Harne, a leader of Sangharsh Samiti.