Karjat Jamkhed’s first MIDC area runs into protests, farmers say not consulted before land acquisition

The first MIDC area in Karjat taluka of Ahilyanagar, earlier known as Ahmednagar, has run into protests as local farmers have refused to give up their land. Spread between the two villages of Khandvi and Kombhali, the MIDC area in the Karjat Jamkhed Assembly constituency requires the acquisition of about 246 hectares of land. The location of the proposed MIDC was changed last year from Pategaon-Khandala to its current site.

On the ground, farmers said almost 80 per cent of the land to be acquired is irrigated and yields multiple crops. Farmers have invested in infrastructure like drip irrigation and onion sheds. In some cases, farmers are set to have their houses demolished as they fall in the land to be acquired.

Jayram Gorkhe owns a house on 1.5 acres of land set to be acquired. He grows onions, and the property includes an onion storage structure. “If the land is acquired, I will have to move out of the village. I stand to lose my home. Where else will I stay?” he asked.

Gangarde said he originally had 7 acres of land, out of which 3 acres were allocated for the construction of the village pond. Now, the remaining 4 acres are set to be acquired for the industrial area. “On the one hand, the government is urging farmers to become more like scientists, yet on the other hand, it is taking away our cultivable land. Agriculture is our only source of income,” he said.

In Khandvi, Bharat Wayase is set to lose 13.5 acres in the MIDC area. “Already my 5 acres had gone for the village pond. I will be left landless,” he claimed.

Villagers said they were shocked to find the notices for acquisition directly being mailed to them. “There were no meetings with us. The initial surveys would have shown how the proposed land is being cultivated regularly. Such land should not be acquired for industrial purposes,” he said.

BJP, NCP (SP) leaders spar over MIDC land acquisition

BJP leader Ram Shinde, chairman of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said there is “unnecessary politicisation of the issue” and described the protests as “unfortunate.” Shinde, who previously represented the Karjat Jamkhed Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket and was defeated in 2019 by Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Rohit Pawar, said, “This was meant to be the first MIDC in the area and would have provided jobs to many people.”

MLA Rohit Pawar, who retained the Karjat Jamkhed seat by a narrow margin in the 2024 polls, claimed that the ruling party is politicising the MIDC issue. “It is not enough to just demarcate a land for acquisition. We should also take care of roads and other infrastructure. The original area was changed due to needless politicisation,” he said.