Is Pune district to witness yet another Nandigram? That seems to be the question looming over Western Maharashtra at this point of time. As this land with a big agriculture presence and equally assuming industrial turnover, this part of the state seems to getting a reputation which it will hardly enjoy.Wagholi, a small village near Pune which might in immediate future become a part of the main city, is the center of this whole episode. A Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is proposed to be set up here and Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is to acquire an estimated 5,000 acres of land in the vicinity. That has given birth to a fierce agitation from farmers from these villages. The MIDC proposal to acquire resulted in discontent among the farmer community, being backed by some political and social activists opposed to the SEZ.
The whole issue started just a week ago when the MIDC appeared as the owner of the land in the villages of Wagholi, Kesanand, Bakori and Lonikand. A total of four thousand acres of land was to be acquired for this purpose. MIDC has been officially shown as the owner of the land in the Govt. documents. This entry appeared mysteriously and without the prior permission from the farmers in question. The fact created a storm and soon it became a wildfire. Farmers are more irritated since they are used to get a healthy amount in compensation when they sell their land to the industrial houses. But that is the case only when they get the chance to sell their land vehemently and directly to the willing buyers. In this case, MIDC, which is a nodal agency set up by Maharashtra government to facilitate the development of the small sector industry in the state, is being used to snatch away the land from the toilers. That is the main grudge here. And that is the issue in Nandigram also.
The extent of the ire of the farmers was evident on Friday when angry farmers manhandled the Videocon officials. About 700 farmers, who are likely to be affected by the proposed SEZ at Lonikand village, protested against the project on Friday when a meeting, convened by the revenue official of Haveli taluka, was to discuss the process of possible land acquisitions under the SEZ. Farmers gathered at the spot and raised slogans opposing the move, the police said. The meeting was wound up hurriedly as protesters stoned the car of the revenue officer, who fled the scene and two officials of Viedocon were manhandled, the police said. They, however, said that either the revenue official or Videocon officials in the matter lodged no official complaint. Even a day after the friction between farmers and officers of Videocon Pvt. Ltd, the situation is tense on the outskirts of Pune on Saturday. The Wagholi and Lonikand villagers are suspicious about any unknown person entering the village and were checking their identity. Farmers have formed a committee to protest against the acquisitions for the proposed SEZ. It has now created a situation where people from outside these villages find it hard to enter or leave the area without proving their identity. One can gauge the situation from just on remark from an esteemed and seasoned Socialist leader like Bhai Vaidya. He summed it up on Sunday while talking to journalist, ``Exploitation of farmers under the name of SEZ. Otherwise a revolt from farmers is unavoidable."
