NASHIK, DEC 5: The tribals of Igatpuri taluka have threatened to destroy a dam constructed in the Take Deogaon-Dharechi Wadi region if the government fails to compensate the project-affected people within a month.The Shramajivi Sanghatana led by the controversial tribal leader Vivek Pandit today organised a dharna in front of the district collectorate to protest against the delay in payment of compensation to the 39 tribal families who have lost over 50 hectares of land in the project.Speaking on the occasion, Pandit said that the tribals, whose names still figure on the revenue records, were not even served notices under Section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act by the government. Describing it as land-grabbing by the government, he demanded that apart from adequate compensation for the land, affected tribals should also get compensation for the loss of their paddy crop in the past decade.The major irrigation department of the state government had acquired the land in 1987 for the dam which was completed in 1996. For the past two years, the land has been submerged under the backwaters of the dam. Pandit also demanded action against the erring officials, who `grabbed' the land.He announced that his organisation would launch an agitation against Avinash Gothi, a landlord from Igatpuri, who has allegedly grabbed lands belonging to tribals through benami transactions.
