Shahapur hurdle for super highway

Shahapur, located 85km from the city in Thane district on the Mumbai-Agra National Highway, is the first tehsil to strongly oppose chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and minister for MSRDC Eknath Shinde’s dream project of the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Highway (MNSC). Reason: a total of 27 villages in the tehsil are being displaced for the project. Party leaders have formed an action committee to oppose land acquisition, claiming that families displaced owing to the Bhatsa (dam) irrigation project have been waiting for proper rehabilitation since 1967.

Baban Harne, social worker from Dhasai told this paper, “We were displaced due to the Bhatsa project in 1967 and are still waiting for proper rehabilitation. And now, another hazard in the form of the MNSC highway has come at our doorstep which will displace hundreds of families across 27 villages from the same tehsil.”

The 750-km long MNSC highway will cost around Rs 46,000 crore and will need acquisition of about 400 Ha land in Shahapur district. Palghar district collectorate office has already started the process of land acquisition. However, villagers did not allow tehsildar Avinash Koshti and special land acquisition officer Revati Gaikar to enter the village a few days ago.

NCP legislator Pandurang Barora who represents Shahapur said, “Shahapur will not sacrifice for the benefit of Mumbai and Nagpur as the government has betrayed us in the past and we are still waiting for justice since the past 50 years. We have given up our land for the Mumbai-Nashik highway and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT)-Vadodara corridor for a paltry amount and incomplete rehabilitation. We fear history will repeat itself.” Mr Barora said he had met both Mr Fadnavis and Mr Shinde but they did not give firm assurance.