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Pune civic body asks collector to call an urgent meeting on Bhama Askhed dam issue
Official sources said that earlier the farmer’s compensation demand of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families giving up their land to the Bhama Askhed dam was accepted by the state government. The Pune municipal corporation (PMC) was asked to bear the cost.
Pune municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao has asked the district collector Naval Kishore Ram to call an urgent meeting to discuss the Bhama Askhed dam issue. With politicians and local farmers having obstructed the project work since the last two weeks, Rao said that the Bhama Askhed project was an important one. With constant objections form agitators, the project has been delayed, he added.
The meeting would be conducted in the presence of municipal officials, district collector, Khed divisional officer, Shiv Sena MLA Suresh Gore and local farmers.
Official sources said that earlier the farmer’s compensation demand of Rs 10 lakh to each of the families giving up their land to the Bhama Askhed dam was accepted by the state government. The Pune municipal corporation (PMC) was asked to bear the cost.
PMC too agreed to the compensation demand. However, farmers altered their demand with a revised compensation of Rs 15 lakh per family.
Now, the PMC has demanded police protection for carrying out the pipeline work. However, with less manpower, the police failed to provide any protection. Recently, there was a suicide case in the region and farmers claimed that it was with respect to the compensation demand for the dam. However, the administration denied the claims made by the farmers and said that the suicide was not related to the dam issue.
The PMC received funds from the central government under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) for laying the water pipelines from Bhama Askhed dam to Pune city which is 48 kilometres away from the city.
The PMC laid almost 40 kilometres of the pipeline. Work of laying pipelines near the dam is now remaining, said officials. However, PMC is unable to complete the work with farmers objecting the project.
Strong stand expected
The PMC administration was frustrated with the regular disturbance from farmers who were not allowing the civic body to complete the work. The PMC administration, and mainly civic chief Saurabh Rao, is likely to take a strong stand in the upcoming meeting to sort out the issue.
