CIDCO’s NAINA policy: After ‘gaon bandh’, 23 villages to intensify protests

Navi Mumbai: After the success of their `Gaon Bandh’ chain protest, the project-affected villagers of NAINA have decided to resort to a decisive fight by intensifying their protest in the days ahead

Navi Mumbai: After the success of their `Gaon Bandh’ chain protest, the project-affected villagers of NAINA have decided to resort to a decisive fight by intensifying their protest in the days ahead. The villagers have decided to resort to rasta roko agitation at several places on Mumbai-Pune Expressway and other highways, organize a bike and autorickshaw rally, raise the issue in the assembly and also take legal recourse.

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The Panvel taluka villagers are opposing CIDCO’s scheme of land pooling by villagers wherein it does not have to pay any compensation. They had initiated a serial protests shutting down one village of the 23 affected villages every day. The bandhs were very successful with commercial establishments shutting down and even transport coming to a halt. The villagers came out in large numbers to the meetings organized in their villages to apprise them of the problems with the scheme.

CIDCO as special planning authority (SPA) is implementing a sanctioned Interim Development Plan for 23 villages of Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) with 11 Town Planning Schemes (TPS). Under the scheme, CIDCO gets to keep 60% of the pooled land on which it will develop modern infrastructure, while the land owners will get 40% freehold land with 2.5 FSI.

NAINA Prakalp Badhit Shetkari Utkarsh Samiti, that is spearheading the protest, held a meeting on Thursday of the affected villagers in Panvel to plan the future course of action. The meeting was attended by hundreds of villagers who raised slogans of `NAINA Hatao’ and `Abhi Nahin to Kabhi Nahin’

Speaking at the meeting, former PWP MLC Balaram Patil said, “The PAPs of the region had fought for their rights in 1984 and even gave up their lives to protect their land which was being acquired to develop Navi Mumbai. We will all come together to once again fight for what is ours. To ensure that the government takes notice, we shall resort to rasta rook at various places on the Expressway and other highways and important roads.” He said the issue will be raised by PWP during the ongoing budget session.

Kashinath Patil, a PAP leader, said “Our awareness programme has been successful in the villages and we shall continue to educate all our people so that no one falls for this scheme. We have also decided to take legal measures and approach the courts to get justice.”

Another PAP leader G R Patil, said, “It is not as if just one section or party people will lose their land. It is going to affect us all and hence we need to be united irrespective of our political affiliations and other differences.”

Said Rajesh Keni, secretary of the committee, “The land has been handed down to us by our ancestors. Why should we give it up free? We are ready for sacrifices if required but this time the fight is going to be decisive. We will soon be organizing a rally of 5,000 to 7,000 bikes and autorickshaws soon to press home our opposition. It does not matter if we are shot at or beaten up. We will have to repeat what our leader D B Patil had done.”

CIDCO has not responded to request for comments on the protest.

CIDCO’s NAINA plan

The Maharashtra government, with the purpose of the planned development of the surrounding area of Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), appointed CIDCO as Special Planning Authority (SPA) with a notification in January 2013. Later it appointed MSCRDC as SPA for some part of this area in Raigad district, essentially limiting the scope of NAINA Project to 224 villages encompassing 474 Sq.kms. CIDCO has proposed the development of NAINA on 372 sq. km. of land from 174 villages of Thane and Raigad districts. The project is based on the principle of land consolidation.

The development of 23 of these villages mentioned in the layout of the approved Interim Development Plan will be done through 11 Town Development Plans (TDP). Land owners coming under town development plans will get 40% developed plot from their original land at 2.5 FSI. CIDCO will develop roads, playground, schools, gardens, growth centres, etc. facilities over the remaining 60% land. Land owners will get 40% of their land, even if the land is affected by any reservation.

This development aims to develop a sustainable city with residential, commercial, educational, and all other basic civic facilities. CIDCO is developing dedicated sectors like Medi City, Sports city, Edu city, Research and Development zone, Eco-tourism, Entertainment, etc to attract international investments in the city. In order to help the future development of the NAINA area, guidelines from the UDCPR are being adopted to facilitate the ease of doing business in the area.