Townships along Maharashtra Samruddhi Corridor: With few takers for land-pooling, MSRDC offers direct land purchase

The implementing agency for the Samruddhi Corridor super expressway had aimed to complete the land pooling process by March end, but it has received only 35 percent consent so far. The total land required for the project is 10,463 hectares, of which 9,500 hectares is private land and the rest 963 hectares government or forest land.
This is the first time that the Maharashtra government will use the land pooling system to acquire land, and it has offered the highest compensation for any road project in the country to the farmers. As per the land pooling model, annual compensation for land per hectare would be Rs 75,000, seasonal farmlands would get Rs 1,12,400 per hectare and horticultural land Rs 1,50,000. The compensation would be paid for 10 years with 10 per cent increase every year. They will also receive 25 per cent of the given size of land as developed plots in one of the 25 adjoining townships, which will come up along the 710-km road passing through ten districts. Despite the lucrative offer, not many farmers are opting for it.

“The government has taken our land for many projects previously and we are yet to see the rehabilitation for them. Then how can we trust them again? In land pooling, we do not know when we will get the benefits and if they will even stick to their promises, but with direct purchase, we know we will get our due immediately. The Land Acquisition Act of 2013 is ideal for our rehabilitation as it caters to all our needs, yet they are using the Maharashtra Highways Act of 1955 for us. This shows their intention to fleece the poor farmers,” said Baban Harne, a farmer activist from Shahapur Taluka.

The MSRDC claimed that activists were misleading farmers, persuading them to not opt for land pooling. “If the opinion-makers influence farmers with rumours, they are bound to make such decisions. We are continuing to have a dialogue with them. We have given them both the options and they are free to decide. Upfront compensation is easier for us too, as land pooling requires more investment and commitment from the government’s side,” said Mopalwar.

Meanwhile, the Joint Measurement Survey (JMS) for finalising the alignment of the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway is underway. With a pace of completing average 20 to 25 km per day, the MSRDC has already completed the survey for 450 km and aims to complete the rest by March 31.
“Our focus is on speedy construction of the expressway and our JMS is in tune with that. There are no holidays for the JMS. The farmers are cooperating with us and that should help us complete it by March 31,” said Kiran Kurundkar, Joint Managing Director, MSRDC.

The state plans to begin work on the Rs 46,000 crore Super Communication Expressway from October this year and complete it over a period of 36 months.