Farmer tries to end life outside Mantralaya over inadequate compensation for his land

An 84-year-old farmer allegedly tried to commit suicide at the Maharashtra secretariat in Mumbai as he was apparently upset over inadequate compensation granted for his land acquired for a thermal plant project. His condition is reported to be serious, an official said.

Dharma Patil, from Sindakhedraja town in Buldhana district, came to the Mantralaya (secretariat) on Monday to follow up his request for higher remuneration from the state government for the acquisition of his land, his son Narendra Patil said. He later allegedly consumed a poisonous substance in the secretariat premises following which the police rushed him to St George Hospital.

An official at the hospital said, “Patil was admitted in the ICU after he consumed the poisonous substance. His condition is serious and we are closely monitoring his health parameters.” He will to be shifted to J J Hospital for further treatment, the official said.

The farmer’s son told reporters on Tuesday that his father got only Rs 4 lakh compensation for his five acres of land. He said the octogenarian had been visiting the state administrative headquarters here for the last three months to complain about the inadequate compensation for his land. Narendra Patil claimed that their neighbour, whose land was also acquired by the state government, received “Rs 1.89 crore as compensation for two acres of land.”

“Then why did we get such less compensation. Isn’t it a case of injustice. We have been raising this issue for last two years,” he said.