In East Nagpur’s (Pardi, Punapur, Bharatwada and Bhandewadi) Smart City ABD zone, what is officially projected as a successful brownfield corridor project is--for over 2,000 affected residents--a story of loss, delay and deepening distress. About 186 Project Affected Persons (PAP) families still wait for their rightful piece of land they can build their homes on. Implemented through a land-pooling method by Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL), the project promised rehabilitation under a 60:40 formula. Nearly a decade on, however, many families remain caught in uncertainty, their lands acquired but future still in limbo. Last week, The Hitavada had reported on incomplete roads cutting through the ABD area--some leading nowhere. One such stretch has split a farmer’s 1.5-acre fertile land, leaving it unusable.

 

The father-son duo, named Suryanarayan Chakole and Pravin Chakole, who depended on it, now struggle to cope. “They took our land for development. Today, neither the road is complete nor our life rebuilt,” the son said. Madan Tadas, Tulsidas Tadas, Chandrakumar Lunavat, Pawan Hatwar are the names of some other affected residents. They all expressed dissatisfaction over them getting compensation amounting only double that of ready-reckoner rates set in 2017. Pravin Chakole said that, “Farmers who sold their lands during the Samruddhi Expressway land acquisition got 5 times the amount as compensation. We feel it is unfair that we are getting less.”

 

Under the policy, those losing up to 40 per cent land are not given monetary compensation, but benefits in Floor Space Index (FSI) and development fee waivers--terms many challenged in court. For lower middle-class families owning 600-1,000 sq ft homes, this translates into smaller, impractical living spaces. “We invested our life’s earnings into that land. Now we are left with less,” one resident said. For the 186 PAPs who lost more than 40 per cent of their land, full rehabilitation was promised. While some compensation--based on 2017 ready reckoner rates--has been paid, their resettlement remains stalled. The proposed rehabilitation land, owned by Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), is still occupied by brick kiln units and labourers awaiting relocation to Waregaon. Until then, development cannot begin. Affected families are currently given monthly rents of Rs 5,000 (residential) and Rs 10,000 (commercial), which many say are inadequate. 

 

Meanwhile, 28 slum families have already been shifted to a newly-constructed housing complex on a 30-year lease basis, though several units remain unoccupied--highlighting a stark irony where informal settlers have received housing while legal landowners continue to wait. The situation has further escalated in parts, with road construction halted due to protests over unpaid compensation. Officials from Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL) maintain that the project follows approved policy frameworks and view the land acquisition through public consent as a significant achievement. They assert that even if the area of compensation is just 60 per cent of original area, PAPs are being moved from underdeveloped areas to planned societies with improved infrastructure. However, for families still awaiting rehabilitation, these assurances offer little immediate relief. As delays persist and inter-departmental dependencies stall progress, hundreds remain trapped between policy and reality--where development has arrived, but justice has not.