All Mauda villages bodies vote for own abolition

Nagpur: All 62 gram panchayats (GPs) in Mauda tehsil of Nagpur district have reportedly passed resolutions to abolish the local self-governing bodies themselves in protest of their inclusion in Nagpur metro region. Even guardian minister Chandrashekar Bawankule, in whose constituency the GPs are located, supports the panchayats and had asked Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) to take appropriate decision.Still, NIT mooted the controversial metro region’s draft development plan and the Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA) headed by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis approved it.
Farmers organization Jai Jawan Jai Kisan condemned the NMRDA and alleged nexus between CM and Halcrow Company that prepared the controversial draft on NIT’s behalf.
“All GPs in Mauda tehsil had passed resolution opposing their inclusion in metro region in 2012. Bawankule had written to NIT in 2012 itself demanding exclusion of all GPs of Mauda from metro region. The state government had first planned metro region in 10km area from city limit and then revised to 25km. Bawankule had written that some villages in Mauda were as far as 70km from city. Still, the NIT and its private agency included all villages using Google Earth without conducting any study. CM is not taking cognizance of views of his own minister. It is unfortunate for all 330 GPs included in metro region despite their opposition,” said Prashant Pawar of Jai Jawan Jai Kisan.
Former deputy sarpanch of Lapka GP in Mauda tehsil said all villagers would lose their farms and houses if controversial draft was implemented. “Villagers are not having money for sowing in their farms. They will have to give up farms for various reservations made on their land. Asking them to pay Rs 115 per sq/ft developmental charges for regularization of houses is beyond imagination,” he said.
“We have been exposing one or other irregularities in draft for last one year and staging demonstrations. More such irregularities have come to fore in the draft that reveals it was prepared without any study. Government had allotted Mahajanwadi coal block to Mahagenco near Hingna. Total 11 villages are covered in proposed coal block area. NIT and Halcrow made reservations of residential, commercial, industrial and transit corridors on coal block area. Even, a special township project of 100 acres has been sanctioned in the coal block area,” Pawar alleged.
Santosh Kumar Vishwakarma said NIT and Halcrow could not see even giant Koradi and Khaparkheda thermal power stations as there was no mentioned about these in the draft plan. Vijay Kumar Shinde said members of NMRDA were not given copies the draft. “All members received a letter dated July 29 about the meeting organized on August 4. Many asked for information but were denied. CM approved the draft plan. Even some BJP’s corporators and trustees in NIT had no knowledge of details in the draft,” he said.
Pawar added almost no one in 721 villagers covered in metro region was able to read the draft as it was never published in Marathi. “We had raised a demand many times to supply copies in Marathi but it was never considered by NIT,” he said.
---------------------
Collector did not attend a single meeting
Collector was one of the six members of the committee constituted to hear people who had submitted suggestions and objections on the draft of metro region’s development plan. He did not attend a single meeting of the committee.
Activist from Jai Jawan Jai Kisan Prashant Pawar said committee held 50 meetings and all six members were supposed to be present in them but that never happened. “NIT chairman was present in only one meeting. Expert from NEERI were present in three followed by 17 that state’s assistant director of town planning attended. VNIT’s representative was present in 35 meetings and former assistant director of state’s town planning department AC Munje in 45 meetings. This itself shows everyone knew the draft was to be approved as it is and hearings were just a formality. The plan should be scrapped. We will move High Court against it,” Pawar said.