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With 67,500 acres at stake, farmers of Maharashtra are opposing the $100-billion Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor project.
Growers from Mangaon in Maharashtra’s Raigad district have taken the lead in opposing the project as 67,500 acres in 78 villages are set to be taken over for the project. Land acquisition for the project is being carried out by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) .
At Mangaon, some 1,000 farmers have been staging a dharna from April 10 alleging that their land is being acquired forcibly. The agitation is set to intensify as farmers’ groups plan to hold protests at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on May 1.
Role of MIDC
At a public meeting in Mumbai on Sunday, Surekha Walvi, convenor of the Shramik Shetkari Sanghatana, which is fighting for farmers’ rights, said that MIDC has over 13 lakh hectares across the State but has not been able to achieve the desired level of industrial development,
In the past, it had acquired large tracts for industrial estates, but has not been able to rehabilitate farmers whose lands were acquired either forcibly or for a pittance, she said.
Pointing to Raigad’s long history of struggle for farmers’ rights, she said it would be difficult for MIDC to acquire land in the district.
According to Janardan Mankar, an activist, even before industrial units come up along the Delhi-Mumbai Corridor, around half the total project land would be used up for townships and commercial purposes.
“We suspect that it is the ploy of real estate companies to acquire good land with abundant water resources,” he said.
He added that DMIC would require highly qualified workforce, which Raigad does not have.
Once the farmers lose their land they would be forced to take up menial jobs, he said.
India-Japan venture
DMIC is being developed as a manufacturing and investment destination, using the 1,483-km-long western Dedicated Railway Freight Corridor as the backbone.
The project was conceived as a symbol of India-Japan strategic partnership during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Tokyo in December 2006.
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