Unhappy over the compensation proposed by the State Government, the farmers affected by the proposed third Ring Road Project have sought an upward revision. This was resolved during a joint meeting of farmers from nine affected talukas, organised by the Shetkari Sangharsh Sena at Mahajan Palace Hall in Zingabai Takli, on Sunday. Despite the ongoing agricultural season, a large number of farmers attended the meeting, underlining growing concerns over compensation and the acquisition process. Dilip Kukde outlined the purpose of the meeting, while Sarang Jhade briefed the gathering on the organisation’s efforts so far, including representations submitted to the Government, correspondence with authorities and follow-up initiatives taken on behalf of the affected farmers. Zade said that village, taluka and district-level committees have now been constituted, strengthening the organisation’s network and enabling a more coordinated movement in the coming days.

 

Addressing the gathering, Dr Manish Aglawe explained key provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. He elaborated on the legal framework for determining market value, calculating compensation and safeguarding the rights of landowners. He urged farmers to verify whether the compensation offered by the Government complies with the provisions of the law. Farmers from all nine talukas also highlighted local issues and concerns related to the proposed project.

 

The organisation assured them that these issues would be strongly pursued with the Government and the district administration. The meeting adopted a unanimous resolution stating that no land measurement, survey, demarcation or any other land acquisition-related Government activity should be carried out until fair and just compensation is determined for all affected farmers. Among those who played a key role in organising the meeting were Dr Madhusudan Maind, Sanjay Maind, Sudhakar Umale, Dr Ashok Pawar, Narendra Khadtkar, Rajendra Kedar, Dilip Khadtkar, Vaibhav Ghonghe, Dr Gade, Sunita Tekade, Deep Jhade, Avinash Taywade and Bhavesh Hinge, along with office-bearers, representatives and farmers from nine talukas.