Farmers get seven days to object on acquisition

Mumbai: Notices being sent to farmers for land acquisition for the Mumbai-Nagpur Samriddhi Mahamarg have irked the community as it has been alleged that the farmers of the Jalna district of Marathwada have been asked to either give up their land or submit their objections within seven days. If they fail to do either, the government would start the acquisition.  

The farmers are calling these notices an example of strong-arm tactics by the government. Sheikh Yusuf Sheikh Fareed, a farmer from Jalna had received such a notice from the sub divisional district collector office on October 14. “How can I submit an objection letter in just seven days? I first need to consult my lawyer for the same. We should be given sufficient time to raise our objections,” said Mr Fareed.

An MSRDC official said, “The farmers have been given notices earlier also. The notices received by them now are not the last ones but just a part of the process. If the farmers want to raise an objection, saying that seven days aren’t enough, the government is ready to hear that too.”

“Such notices are being sent to the farmers during the festival time. The government is not even ready to wait until the festival mood is over,” said Raju Desale, a farmers’ leader from Nashik.