People oppose move to demarcate Bhosari and Dighi as Red Zone

In view of opposing the district administration’s move to place Bhosari,Dighi,Charoli and Moshi within the Red Zone (no-development zone),residents of these areas have collected signatures from all the people living in the area. According to them,most of the people living in these areas have come under this zone after the administration made such a mention in the land rights records.

They have already forwarded the signatures of nearly 200 people objecting to the move by the concerned talathi,which does not allow them to sell or buy property in the area. “We have expressed our dissent through signatures collected from the farmers,which we have forwarded to various authorities in the defence as well as the district administration as well as state government officials,” said Balasaheb Thopte,a resident of the area. He also maintained that the district administration’s move came without any prior notice. While very few people have received some kind of compensation,most others have not,he said. According to him,very few people of a handful of survey numbers have actually seen their 7X12 land extracts and are aware of the fact that they are living in a area that falls under the .”Red Zone”.

The massive construction work that was initiated reportedly with “prior permission” from the municipal corporation could not suddenly be transformed into a no-development zone,said an unnamed farmer,who is expected to be affected by the administration’s move. “How can the municipal corporation develop the area with all the infrastructure and suddenly decide to raze the structures to the ground only because the defence authorities have now said that it comes under the Red Zone area?” asked the farmer,who has joined the peasants’ agitation against the move. Some of the senior collectorate officials pleaded ignorance about the move,while some officials said that they would look into the matter.

Meanwhile,the state government is yet to decide on who will bear the demarcation expenses. It has maintained that the defence authorities bear the estimated Rs 7-crore expense for the entire process,which will include Rs 43 lakh for the construction of the boundary. The collector had also written to the government seeking extra manpower required to carry out the drive.