800 villages refuse to accept compensation

The second phase of the land acquisition process in Madban village for the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Ratnagiri faced stiff opposition from villagers on Tuesday.

The second phase of the land acquisition process in Madban village for the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Ratnagiri faced stiff opposition from villagers on Tuesday.

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Around 800 villagers refused to accept the compensation cheques worth Rs 4.77 crore handed by the state government. “We put black flags all over the village. We instructed villagers neither to offer a glass of water to the government or police officials nor provide them with tables and chairs that they need to disburse the cheques,” said Pravin Gavankar, a Madban resident.

“No villager has accepted cheques on Tuesday. We will, however, go ahead with the acquisition as per the law,” said a government official, requesting anonymity.

As a mark of protest, villagers will fly black flags atop their homes on Wednesday — the eve of the kite-flying festival, Makar Sankranti.

On December 29, the first batch of 700 villagers from Madban had refused to accept their compensation cheques. The final phase of giving out cheques in Madban will be on January 22. It is also the final phase of the land acquisition process for the entire project.

The 700-hectare in Madban village is important for the project as it will house the six European light water reactors imported from France, which will produce 10,000 Mega Watts of electricity. The rest 238-hectare will be used to construct utilities for the staff.

Till date, except seven villagers, no one from villages of Niweli, Karel and Mithgawane have accepted the cheques. The state has acquired the land under the Land Acquisition Act. It will be handed over to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, which will construct and run the power plant, after January 22.