Three villages out of survey purview breathe easy

PUNE: Three villages in Purandar taluka, fiercely protesting against the proposed international airport till recently, have toned down their opposition to the ongoing ground-level survey of late because it has not affected them so far.
Residents of Rajewadi, Waghapur and Amble villages have gone quiet with the demonstrations, but have resolved to express their solidarity with the other villagers continuing with their opposition to the proposed project.
“During our meeting with Pune district collector earlier this month, we were told the three villages had nothing to do with the survey. Though we don’t know about the technicalities, the officials told us that our villages will not be affected by the project. It is good news for us and so we have stopped demonstrations to a limit,” Rajewadi resident Vilas Kadlag told TOI.
“This does not mean we are backing off and not helping our friends in the other villages. We are taking part in their events and programmes and backing them,” he said.
Ever since the state government announced the new Pune airport at Purandar taluka on October 7, the residents of seven villages — Rajewadi, Vaghapur, Pargaon, Amble, Khanwadi, Ekhatpur and Mujwadi — have been protesting against the project. In fact, the protests had started from Rajewadi and Pargaon before spreading to the other areas.
“The survey on for a week now has seen the addition of three villages in the form of Kumbawan, Udachiwadi and Wanpuri apart from Pargaon Khanwadi, Ekhatpur and Mujwadi. So, the number still stands at seven villages,” Kadlag added.
Sachin Giri, the tehsildar of Purandar taluka, said the team on the ground had fixed the survey points. “We don’t have much idea about it. They must have fixed the points after proper studies,” he said.
Another district administration official, requesting anonymity, said the survey would go on for 20 more days and it was not clear at present whether the three villages would be touched or not.
“This is a purely technical survey. Some villages have been excluded now and if they will be included in the coming time is for the team to decide. One will have an idea about the area coming under the airport project only after the survey is over,” the officer added.
Earlier this week, the villagers had talked about taking legal steps after retired high court judge B G Kolse-Patil agreed to help them in their movement.
A Pargaon landowner said, “We shall move and work according to his direction from now on. He told us not to believe in any and everything, especially rumours, and made us swear that we shall fight for our land and the state government cannot force us to leave it. It is a nice gesture that the people of the untouched villages are also supporting us in some way or the other.”