The proposed Valthi additional power substation in Pune district moved closer to implementation after Collector Jitendra Dudi assured that administrative action would be taken to make available 1.5 acres from the Purandar Lift Irrigation Scheme project land. The assurance led former Shindawane sarpanch Ganesh Mahadik to withdraw his indefinite hunger strike on November 8, the fourth day of the protest.
Mahadik had begun the fast on November 5, demanding that the government transfer 1.5 acres held under the jurisdiction of the Krishna Valley Development Corporation for the proposed substation. The demand was aimed at resolving the long-pending land issue preventing the sanctioned power facility from moving ahead.
The intervention came after MLA Dnyaneshwar Katke visited the protest site on November 8 and requested Mahadik to end the fast. Katke also sought the transfer of the land allocated to the Krishna Valley Development Corporation for the Purandar Lift Irrigation Scheme so that it could be used for the approved substation.
According to the report, Collector Dudi assured that the administration would obtain the proposal and take the necessary steps to provide land for the substation. The assurance was conveyed during the discussions following Katke’s intervention. The report does not state that the land transfer has already been completed; it records an assurance that the process will be undertaken.
The proposed facility is linked to a continuing power supply problem in the area. Residents of Shindawane, Tarde, Valthi and Sortapwadi have reported repeated faults on the Theur-Valthi power line, according to the report. Farmers and businesses involved in the nursery industry have been affected by the recurring disruptions, increasing support for the demand to resolve the substation’s land requirement.
The protest brought together residents from the surrounding villages, along with local representatives and business figures. Industrialist L. B. Kunjir, Yashwant director Santosh Kanchan and former Shindawane sarpanch Anna Mahadik were among those present at the protest site.
The immediate administrative step is to obtain and process the proposal for making the 1.5-acre parcel available for the Valthi additional substation. The project’s next milestone will therefore depend on the formal land-transfer procedure involving the relevant administration and the Krishna Valley Development Corporation.
