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Journalism of Courage
The villagers of Nanded on the outskirts of Pune can8217;t wait for the new township to change their lives
SAVITA Kshirsagar teaches at the only primary school in Nanded village. Her husband Dileep teaches older students at the nearby school in Dhayari Phata, 2 km away from Nanded village. The Kshirsagars did not have any land to contribute to the new Nanded city, a joint venture between farmers and a city builder, but they know the future, at least for their two children, is here, on the outskirts of Pune.
At present, the village has about 250 children studying in the primary school, which has up to Class IV. For higher education, students have to go to the nearby Shivne village or to the school in Dhayariphata, where the Kshirsagars8217; younger son studies. Now, the family has also booked a one-bedroom flat in the new project. 8220;It is going to cost us about 15 lakh; we have taken a loan,8221; said Dileep.
It was three years ago that farmers at Nanded village, on the outskirts of the Pune Municipal Corporation limits, got together to develop their land. They said it began with the acute shortage of agricultural labour on their farms.
Farming had become difficult as farm hands were attracted to the nearby industrial units, a few kilometres away inside the city, which offered better pay and comfortable working conditions. With each person8217;s land holding varying from half an acre to more than 10 acres, the entire village of about 450 families came together to develop 700 acres; the second such project after the Pune8217;s Magarpatta.
8220;We have families in the village who do not own land. But we have planned in such a way that they all get jobs,8221; said Vikas Lagad, a farmer who owns about four acres. Farmers were paid Rs 5 lakh for each acre. Lagad said most of them had used the money they got to buy land elsewhere. 8220;Some of them have bought trucks and dumpers, but no one has bought luxury vehicles yet. Most of them have invested the money in property8212;either a flat at the project or agricultural land elsewhere,8221; he said. He has himself invested in a flat, but has no plans to buy a vehicle yet.
The village is also clear that the traditional gaothan will not be turned over to the project. 8220;We have only given our land for development, not our village. Our ancestors have been living here for many years. Some members of our family will continue to live here, others will move on to their new houses,8221; said Lagad.
On June 1, the Nanded city project began registrations. The place is showing the earliest signs of development8212;trees have been numbered for replantation while bricks and mud have been stocked beside the site office. Construction has begun and will move in the direction of the village in the next two years.
Till then, farmers will be able to work on their land. 8220;It will take at least another year for the bricks to reach my farm. I have turned over my land to the project, but will continue to grow lilies till the bricks reach my land,8221; said Gulab Dedge.
There is growing realisation among villagers that they will soon be earning a more steady income that what they got from farming. Most of the farmers here have been growing lilies and other flowers, because of the nearby flower market in Pune. More than revenue, however, it is the flush of opportunities that development brings with it that is keeping the farmers here upbeat. Mass scale contracts for painting, earth moving, and other construction-related activities would mean additional avenues for income, farmers said.
8220;Nanded village had over 850 acres of land. About 150 acres has already been wasted because of bad planning, most of it done haphazardly to build basic infrastructure, roads, and given on lease to small industrial units,8221; he said. This time development would be different, he said.
