Allotment of plots to Bhatsa project affected people takes place after 54 years after the project is completed

Mumbai: Due to the Corona pandemic, the process of allotment of plots to the Bhatsa project affected people, which has been stalled for the last two years, has finally restarted today. Baban Harne, Chairman of Bhatsa Project Affected Coordinating Committee, informed that after 54 years, the disbursal of plot allotment and possession receipts to the families affected by this project has once again started.

In order to ensure supply of drinking water to Mumbai, the construction of a dam on Bhatsa river in Shahapur taluka was started in 1968. The state government acquired 3,278 hectares of land. Out of this area, 353 hectares of area was privately owned and the rest was forest area. In this project, 127 families of Palheri, Pachivare, Wakicha Pada, Ghode Paul villages of Shahapur taluka were affected. A population of around 572 in these villages were submerged in the Bhatsa reservoir. During the period from 1970 to 1972, the government had acquired land at the rate of Rs. 230 per acre. However, the project affected people were not accommodated in government jobs and were neither allotted any alternative plots.

In 1986, the Bhatsa Punarvasan Coordinating Committee was formed for justice to the displaced and the struggle began in earnest. In the year 2013 revolutionary changes were made in the Land Acquisition Act. After that, they started protesting under the leadership of Baban Harne and Bhau Mahalunge to get enhanced compensation according to the new law, to get at least one member of the displaced family a job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). They gave a memorandum to the then BMC Municipal Commissioner, met the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Guardian Minister and Thane District Collector and followed up the matter with them.

This movement saw some success in the year 2019, however, due to the Corona pandemic crisis the overall success of the movement got a bit of a setback.

In 2019, a lottery was conducted to allot plots to the affected families. In reality, today (24th) after 54 years, the allotment of plots and possession receipts are being given to the 97 Project Affected Families (PAF) by the Bhatsa Dam. In a representative manner, nine out of 87 families were allotted plots and possession receipts which were given by District Rehabilitation Officer Revati Gaikar and Bhatsa Executive Engineer Yogesh Patil. All the remaining families will also be allotted plots in the next three months and after that they will be able to build houses on it. The plots given by the administration in Bhatsanagar are non-agricultural and they have been provided with all necessary facilities like water supply, roads and sewerage.

The farmers who were allotted plots today include: Shankar Varkute, Waman Vide, Janu Vide, Rambhau Bhenre, Babu Vide, Dharma Channe, Ganpat Mahalunge, Dharma Vide and Ashok Mope. On this occasion, Bhatsa Executive Engineer Yogesh Patil, project affected farmers’ leaders Baban Harne, Bhau Mahalunge, Ashok Mope and affected farmers’ families were present.

“This is a historic victory. The construction of the Bhatsa project started in 1967. At that time, the Rehabilitation Act was not as powerful as it is now. I have been pursuing this issue for the last 23 years after the amendment of the Displacement and Resettlement Act in 1999. Finally, today the day has come and justice has been given to the Bhatsa project affected people.”

• Baban Harne, Bhatsa Rehabilitation Coordination Committee.

“Better late than never, we are satisfied that we got justice. But through the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the citizens of Mumbai are drinking 70% of the water from the Bhatsa project that we have given land for. Even though this being the case, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation is still unable to give jobs to our eligible 28 project victims. The BMC has been indifferent about the demand. If Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pays attention to this matter, then our third generation will surely get justice.”

• Dharma Channe, Project Affected Farmer