Andhra land pooling model for expressway

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will take the land pooling route to encourage more farmers to give their land for the 800-km long Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway. The plan is to return a certain proportion of developed land with monetary compensation along the proposed expressway.

“As much as 22.5 per cent of the total area of the land acquired will be given back to farmers which will be ready for commercial and industrial use. This will boost the basic motto of creating industrial hubs,” said an MSRDC bureaucrat.

The estimated cost of the six-lane expressway is '30,000 crore and it is going to be called the ‘Communication Super Expressway’ as it will connect the financial capital of the country with Nagpur and will also pass through backward areas of the state such as Sinnar, Jalna, Shendra, Waluj, Wardha and Amravati.

“We are planning to develop 20 industrial hubs at a radius of every 40 km. Also, this model will solve major problems related to land and it is always better to pool land rather than buying it. For example, suppose a farmer at Padgha district near Bhiwandi gives his or her land for the expressway. In exchange, the farmer will get the 22.5 per cent of the developed land in the radius of 20 km from his original land. It depends on the farmer later whether to rent it or to set up his business. The ratio for monetary compensation to be given to the farmer with the developed land is also being worked out,” added the bureaucrat.

The MSRDC plans come up with ideas to set up IT parks, educational hubs, industrial hubs, CCTV cameras and a Wi-Fi facility wherever possible all along the expressway.

Earlier this month, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway will be a game changer and will boost the agro-economic growth of regions such as Marathwada, Vidarbha and northern Maharashtra.

“We are also studying the Andhra Pradesh model for land-pooling. In order to construct Amaravati, the new capital of Andhra Pradesh, the state government had to acquire 34,000 acres of agricultural land. They implemented a similar model. The farmers were offered 30 per cent of the developed land in exchange for their land. Also, the detailed project report (DPR) for which tenders have been floated will include studies on land-pooling model for the expressway,” added the MSRDC bureaucrat.

The tenders for the expressway were floated last month in five different packages, as the MSRDC wants five different consultants to study limited areas at a time. The MSRDC is also trying to rope in different international agencies from Japan, China, Dubai and Malaysia to fund the project.