A farmer climbed a power transmission tower in Talegaon Dhamdhere in Pune district on Sunday to protest what he said was the failure to pay compensation for farmland being used for a transmission line project, prompting police to call the fire brigade and leading to a complaint against three members of his family.
The incident took place in the Malwadi area near the Talegaon Dhamdhere–Nhavara National Highway, where WRSR Power Transmission Limited was carrying out tower-line construction on agricultural land in Gat No. 1207. The work was being undertaken with police protection, according to the report by Sakal – Pune.
The report identified the three people involved as Vikas Vitthal Bhujbal, Prakash Vitthal Bhujbal and Sitabai Vitthal Bhujbal, residents of Talegaon Dhamdhere in Shirur taluka. During the construction activity, Prakash Bhujbal climbed the transmission tower and told company workers that he had not received compensation for his land. He also questioned the company’s authority to carry out the work and said he would die by suicide, according to the police complaint cited in the report.
Vikas Bhujbal and Sitabai Bhujbal allegedly stood below the tower and demanded that the workers and officials stop the construction and leave the site. The report said the three prevented company employees and officials from continuing the work, resulting in the tower-line activity being halted.
Assistant Police Inspector Hanumant Giri and other police personnel were present at the site. After Prakash Bhujbal refused to come down, the police called the fire brigade. He eventually descended from the tower after remaining there for a considerable period, according to the report.
A police complaint was filed at the Shikrapur police station by police employee Pallavi Waghole-Dरेकर against Vikas Bhujbal, Prakash Bhujbal and Sitabai Bhujbal. The complaint relates to allegedly obstructing sanctioned tower-line work being carried out under police protection. The Shikrapur police are investigating the matter.
Prakash Bhujbal told Sakal – Pune that one acre of his agricultural land was being used for the transmission line and that the company had completed half of the work without paying the compensation it had promised. The report did not provide details of the compensation amount, the legal basis of the payment, or whether the company had issued a formal response to the allegation.
The incident has also drawn a response from the Shirur taluka farmers’ organisation. Its president, Rajendra Dhamdhere, said farmers whose land was being used for the transmission line should receive appropriate compensation. He also called for cases filed against affected farmers to be withdrawn and said farmer organisations would support efforts to secure relief for them.
The police investigation and the compensation dispute will determine whether construction resumes and how the claims raised by the landowners are addressed. The supplied report does not state the project’s completion deadline or the next scheduled action by the transmission company or district administration.
