Their decision not to vacate the land has been conveyed to the tehsil office and they have threatened to agitate if the authorities proceed regardless. With 2,351 hectares to be acquired from seven villages in Chakan for the proposed airport, the villagers are an aggrieved lot and are already in protest mode. They know about Nandigram and know what farmers can achieve. Meanwhile, the countdown has started for these farmers as the MIDC, on behalf of the state government, has issued a notice to begin the land acquisition procedure.

Unlike in the case of the SEZ where only uncultivable land is being acquired, the farmers fear there will be no such consideration in the case of the proposed greenfield airport, work for which is expected to commence in 2010-11and which is scheduled to be operational by 2016.

When contacted, MIDC CEO Rajiv Jalota said that although MIDC has notified the land for acquisition, cultivable land will not be acquired. “It’s up to the district officers now to do the talking,” he said. According to Khed SDO, Gajanan Patil, the staff is yet to meet the people and talk to them.

But the farmers know what is in store and are not buying this argument as they feel airport land will have to be contiguous and the lay of the land in these villages will not allow it unless cultivable land too gets acquired.

The farmers have a reason to feel agitated as prime cultivable land in the region fetches anywhere between Rs 60-70 lakh an acre and goes up to Rs 1.5 crore depending on its proximity to the main road. Against this, they’re well aware that the MIDC acquisition for the Bharat Forge SEZ is being done at Rs 7 lakh an acre, though for non-cultivable land.

... contd.