 "Gurgaon-Jaipur expressway considered for Rs 33,000 crore")
Some villagers have raised objection to the monetary benefit to be paid annually to land owners under the pooling model, while others wanted to know if the project was delayed inordinately what would be the fate of the developed land to be alloted to them.
The 710-km super expressway will pass through 10 districts of Maharashtra — Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nashik and Thane. It is expected to reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai from 18 to eight hours. Fadnavis has announced the commissioning of the six-lane expressway by October 2019, when the election to the state Assembly is scheduled. Facilities like CCTV cameras, trauma centres, electronic toll points, two-lane service roads, utility shifting, bypass, and other structures would be installed to enhance operational and safety standards.
Of the 20,000 hectares (ha) to be acquired, 399 ha is forest land, 17,499 ha is agricultural land and 2,922 ha is unused land. Already villagers from Thane have hit the road demanding higher compensation. Some wanted to know who would take responsibility for the portion of land that will remain with them after surrendering the necessary parcel under the pooling arrangement.
However, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the implementing agency for the project, has said land acquisition will not be done through coercive methods and consent will be sought.
MSRDC Vice-Chairman and Managing Director Radheshyam Mopalwar told Business Standard: “The process of land acquisition by way of land pooling on Amravati model is under way. All 10 district collectors and divisional commissioners are holding meetings with landholders. The land pooling model is inherently more beneficial to landholders. Actually, it is more beneficial than the amount of one-time compensation landholders are entitled to under the provisions of LARR. It's a matter of convincing landholders about this new model, which was successfully used acquiring land for the Navi Mumbai airport.”
Further, Mopalwar said if landholders prefer payment of one-time compensation, the government is prepared for that. He said provision for this was made in section 19 (J) of the Maharashtra Highways Act as well as in paragraph 8 of the government resolution of the super expressway dated July 5, 2016.
“The government is confident of getting possession of the 10,000 ha required for the construction of super expressway either through the land pooling model or under one-time compensation route in the shortest possible time. The procedure for environment and forest clearances are at an advanced stage, while the process of financial closure is under way,” Mopalwar said.
Another official said the government plans to pay farmers who opt for land pooling a sum of Rs 20,000 per acre annually for single crop non-irrigated agricultural land for 10 years.
For irrigated land with a minimum two crop cycles, farmers will be offered a compensation of Rs 40,000 per acre per annum for 10 years.
Additionally, the government proposes to give 11,000 square feet of land for every acre that they hold. Farmers will get back around one-fourth of the area that they give up as a developed parcel along the super expressway.
FACING THE SPEED HUMP
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The 710-km long six-lane super expressway to be operational by October 2019
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Farmers want to know what will happen to the allotment of the developed land in the wake of time overruns
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Some raised objections to the monetary benefit to be paid annually to the land owner contributing land under the pooling model
- However, MSRDC says the procedure for environment and forest clearances are at an advanced stage, while the process of financial closure is underway
