Govt firm on Purandar airport project: Chandrashekhar Bawankule
He assured them that the government would offer them 'best possible deal' in return for their land.
Earlier in the day, the revenue minister met with Jitendra Dudi, the district collector, and other officials to discuss further action on land acquisition for the proposed airport at Purandar.
'The state government has already decided on the project. We will ensure that farmers are adequately compensated and benefit from the development,' he said.
Tensions in the region have escalated recently after the district administration faced strong resistance while attempting to conduct drone surveys for land measurement in the affected villages. A protest on May 3 turned violent, resulting in injuries to 18 policemen and damage to drone equipment. In light of this, the administration has paused survey operations for now.
Bawankule said he had interacted with some of the aggrieved farmers who remain reluctant to part with their land. Drawing parallels with the Mihan project in Nagpur, he said, 'Locals cooperated there, and the project transformed the region. Something similar is possible in Purandar too.'
He added that the proposed airport and cargo facility would bring international connectivity to western Maharashtra and create new opportunities for the farming community through global exports.
'I asked the farmers to tell us what compensation they consider fair. I've requested them to share their expectations and demands within a week,' he said, indicating the possibility of revising the compensation package after reviewing their input.
The minister also addressed concerns about disinformation circulating on social media, which he said has contributed to confusion and mistrust among farmers regarding compensation rates. 'We will provide a transparent, fair, and rewarding offer,' he said, adding that the government may even consider amending land acquisition norms if needed.
'Until a consensus is reached the drone-based land surveys in the seven affected villages will remain on hold,' he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Indian Express
Maharashtra govt forms high-level committee to strengthen farm and village roads
The state government has set up a 23-member high-level committee to strengthen farm and village roads to tackle the challenges faced by farmers in transporting agricultural produce. Chaired by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the committee aims to resolve long-standing issues caused by inadequate rural road infrastructure. This initiative follows a commitment made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the monsoon session of the Legislative Assembly on July 11. The committee, headed by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, comprises Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Jayakumar Gore, Maharashtra Minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme Bharatshet Gogawale, MoS Ashish Jaiswal, five members of the Legislative Assembly, seven special invitee members and seven senior officials. It is tasked with submitting a comprehensive report within one month to ensure time-bound reforms. According to Bawankule, 'The objective is to provide good and accessible rural infrastructure to make life better for farmers and agriculture sector.' The committee's aims and objectives are to focus on: 1) Reviewing the Matoshri Pandhan Road Scheme to address its shortcomings. Studying successful farm road schemes in Nagpur, Amravati and Latur districts. 3) Implementing recommendations from the committee chaired by the Commissioner of Land Records, Maharashtra. 4) Assessing the need for a dedicated accountant head for farm road schemes. 5) Evaluating funding convergence under existing schemes, including specific accounting heads and required financing. 6) Proposing measures to strengthen all farm and village roads within five years to ensure seamless transport of agricultural produce. 7) Recommending the appropriate department to implement the scheme. The committee is empowered to invite experts and retired officers as special invitees and to make additional recommendations beyond its defined scope, ensuring a comprehensive approach to rural road infrastructure development. With the increasing mechanization of agriculture, robust farm roads are essential for efficient sowing, harvesting, and transportation of produce to markets. Poor road conditions have long hindered farmers' productivity. This initiative aims to enhance rural connectivity, boost agricultural efficiency, and improve farmers' livelihoods.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Maha tweaks quota framework for 8 tribals dists; 3 from Vid included
Chandrapur: In a significant move to ensure equitable representation in govt jobs and educational institutions, Maharashtra has implemented a revised reservation structure for eight tribal-dominated districts, including three from Vidarbha — Chandrapur, Gadchiroli, and Yavatmal. The point roster (system used to ensure correct percentages of reserved seats are allocated to different categories) has been finalised based on recommendations by cabinet sub-committee on reservation, chaired by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Alongside Vidarbha districts, five other tribal-dominated districts — Nashik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Palghar, and Raigad — have also been included under the new policy. To suggest necessary measures regarding the implementation of revised reservation in tribal-dominated districts, the cabinet had formed a sub-committee under Bawankule's leadership. Other members included food and civil supplies minister Chhagan Bhujbal, agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate, school education minister Dadaji Bhuse, OBC welfare minister Atul Save, and tribal development minister Dr Ashok Uike. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Your Finger Shape Says a Lot About Your Personality, Read Now Tips and Tricks Undo Taking into account the recommendations of this committee, the govt has finalised the revised point roster for direct recruitment to Group-C and Group-D posts in these districts. The revised reservation percentages have been determined based on the population and existing reservation quotas of Other Backward Classes (OBCs), Vimukta Jatis, and Nomadic Tribes (VJNTs) in these districts. Under the Maharashtra State Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes Act, 2024, the socially and educationally backward classes (SEBC) are entitled to 10% reservation in direct recruitment for govt jobs and admissions to educational institutions. This restructured reservation matrix is expected to streamline recruitment and admission processes while ensuring fair access to under-represented communities in Maharashtra's tribal belts.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
‘Congress should apologise to Hindu community': Maha CM on Malegaon blast verdict
Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday accused the Congress party of portraying the Hindu community as terrorists, asserting that the grand old party-led UPA government had hatched a conspiracy, and should apologise to the community in the wake of the Malegaon bomb blast case verdict. He told reporters that the Congress-led UPA government had tried to set the narrative of Hindu terrorism, adding that it tried to propagate that Hindus are terrorists. 'How false it was proved today by the court. Congress should apologise to those against whom action was taken. Congress should apologise to the entire Hindu community,' he said. 'I will not blame the police. Police were under pressure. After the 9/11 attacks, Islamic terrorism came into existence. Thereafter, the UPA government had set the narrative of Hindu and saffron terrorism. Terrorism was never saffron, is not, and will never be.' Meanwhile, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the verdict is not merely a judicial decision but an exposure of a long-running political conspiracy to defame. 'The court clearly noted that there was no concrete evidence behind any of the allegations. But a more serious matter is that the Congress deliberately used the term Hindu terrorism in its propaganda, attempting to defame the Hindu community and its faith worldwide,' he claimed. He added that Congress committed an unforgivable crime by trying to place Hinduism in the ranks of terrorists, which has rather been a symbol of humanity and tolerance for centuries. 'Today, the court has upheld the truth, and now Congress must apologise to the Hindu community! A Hindu has never been a terrorist and never will be. The court's decision today has delivered a resounding slap to those who defamed Hindus,' he said. Ports and Shipping Minister Nitesh Rane said the verdict has been a major slap to those who made attempts to defame the Hindu community. 'No one should try to defame the Hindu community in future. The same thing is being proven again and again, that the colour of terrorism and jihad is green. During the Congress period, false cases were filed against Hindutva activists, and they were trapped,' he alleged. Rane said that efforts to trap the Hindutva activists are not possible when there is a state and a central government with Hindutva ideology, adding that it has been proven once again that Hindus are safe in the Hindu nation. 'These people, who defamed, should apologise to the Hindu community. They should go to the temple and apologise to the Hindu community,' he said. State BJP chief spokesman Keshav Upadhye said that the verdict has dealt a severe blow to the Congress for its attempt to sow venom against the Hindu community by creating a fake narrative called 'saffron terrorism' and 'Hindu terrorism.' 'The verdict has shattered the Congress's conspiracy to smear the minority community by making seven Hindu nationalists accused in this case, and it has become clear from this verdict that a Hindu can never be a terrorist. The court has strengthened the side of justice by acquitting the accused in this case,' he observed. Upadhye alleged that in this incident that took place 17 years ago, the Congress government accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh, Colonel Purohit, Ramesh Upadhyay, Ajay Rahirkar, Sudhakar Chaturvedi, Sameer Kulkarni and Sudhakar Dwivedi of being criminals and 'tortured' them inhumanely. 'To convince the people of the fake narrative of Hindu terrorism, these accused were subjected to unprecedented torture to make them confess to the crime. It has now been proven that this was a widespread conspiracy to defame the Hindu community and thereby gain political benefits by oppressing the minority community,' claimed Upadhye. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde said that P Chidambaram, who tried to create the narrative of 'saffron terrorism', also said, what proof is there that the attackers behind the Pahalgam attack came from Pakistan? 'Was Chidambaram calling Indian people terrorists? Congress should ask him these questions. To hide their failure in eliminating terrorism, he tried to create a narrative like 'saffron terrorism'. Today, the truth has come before the people,' he claimed.
