The Maharashtra government will not forcibly acquire land in Gadchiroli for the proposed Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) and steel project, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Thursday, as farmers from 27 villages raised objections to the proposed acquisition.
Fadnavis said the government would pursue negotiations and dialogue with affected residents instead of using its statutory powers to take possession of land. He also ordered a committee headed by Gadchiroli collector Avishyant Panda to examine the farmers’ objections, difficulties and demands and hold detailed discussions with all stakeholders.
The chief minister met a delegation of farmers at his official residence after representatives from 14 villages in Bhendala and 13 villages in Yenapur-Jayrampur presented their position on the proposed acquisition. The meeting followed protests linked to the project and the farmers’ demand that their land be excluded from acquisition for the steel plant.
“As far as Gadchiroli is concerned, development is happening on a large scale. There are times when people also oppose land acquisition. Mahayuti govt believes in negotiations,” Fadnavis told reporters. He said he had spoken to one group and would also engage with another group.
The government’s position comes a day after farmers from 13 villages in the Yenapur-Jayrampur area withdrew a blockade of National Highway 353C at Ashti. The blockade was called off after Aniruddh Palkar, officer on special duty to the chief minister, held overnight discussions with the farmers and conveyed Fadnavis’s appeal.
Fadnavis said officials had been instructed to maintain dialogue to prevent conflict between the industrial project and local farmers. He appealed to residents to consider the district’s development and the possibility of long-term employment for future generations, while acknowledging that reaching an agreement through consultation would take more time.
“Whatever acquisition we have done so far, we have done through discussion and dialogue. We do not acquire land by the might of the govt,” Fadnavis said. He added that the state had chosen negotiation as a policy even though the law provides mechanisms for acquisition after notification, compensation and deposit of money in court.
The chief minister said the government could issue a notification, pay compensation and seek possession through the legal process, but had decided against proceeding without consultation in this case. “Ultimately we are doing this for benefit of people. Hence, it is important for us to convince them and take them along,” he said.
The collector-led committee will now engage with the affected villages and examine their concerns. The government’s next position on the proposed acquisition is expected to follow those consultations, while farmers continue to seek exclusion of their land from the steel project.
