Farmers To Get 22.5% Land Back in Navi Mumbai Airport Project
The troubled Navi Mumbai International Airport project may have a breath of fresh air as CIDCO offers 22.5% of developed land to the airport project affected people. The airport project had earlier seen delays in its commencement due to the deadlock between CIDCO and the project affected people (PAP).
The compensation package is the highest-ever compensation package as the farmers affected by the project will get an additional 10% developed land on the normal 12.5% offered against land acquisitions. The compensation was planned by CIDCO and approved by the Maharashtra chief minister.
The deadlock
The Navi Mumbai Airport is included as one of the priority projects by the Prime Minister. The proposed International Airport is aimed at decongesting Mumbai’s current air traffic. The first phase was supposed to be operational by 2014.
Land acquisition was one of the major hurdles apart from environmental clearance, the proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport was facing. CIDCO and the state government required about 424 hectares of private land for the building the airport. They were negotiating land rates with residents of the seven villages. The land owners demanded a higher compensation for their lands while disallowing CIDCO to conduct surveys.
The Offer
The project affected farmers have been asking for various compensation packages such as more land, money and other benefits such as jobs. However, CIDCO decided to offer 22.5% of developed land, as this offer was more profiteering than other forms of compensation. It is more sustainable and the PAPs could reap its benefits in the long run. A senior CIDCO official said that the chief minister was convinced about CIDCO’s plan. He also said that there would be one more round of meeting between the CM and CIDCO officials before making the announcement.
CIDCO said that the revised compensation offer was also intended at ensuring speedy rehabilitation and resettlement process for the farmers and achieve early construction. The state government has resolved to distribute the developed plots on village to village basis instead of case to case basis. This is to make sure that livelihood is maintained.
Update
Following the land bill which was passed by the Rajya Sabha on 4th September this year, the project affected people have now increased their demand asking for 35% of developed land on a net basis instead of cash compensation or the earlier decided 22.5% developed land on a gross basis. The representatives of the PAP have said that the land acquisition bill won’t help them as they will be under loss. They also said that according to the 22.5% formula calculated by CIDCO, the affected people would get only 15.75% which would again be a loss for the farmers. The matter will be taken up with the government shortly.
