Villagers Oppose MMRDA’s Move To Acquire Their Land For Metro
The villagers say they don’t want to lose their only source of livelihood.
The Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro Line 5 project might hit a roadblock as over 100 families have opposed the proposal to construct a car shed on their land at Govegaon near Kalyan-Bhiwandi road in Maharashtra.
The villagers said they don’t want to lose their only source of livelihood. "The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority wants to acquire around 36 hectares of our land in Govegaon for a Metro car shed. The move will affect as many as 100 families," Secretary of Kon-Gove Sangharh Samiti, Pandharinath Bhoir, said in a press conference on Friday.
Neeta Mahajan, a lawyer, who represents the committee, said, "Villagers have their houses, shops and small-scale workshops on this land." The MMRDA had last year sent notices to the residents stating that it wanted to acquire the land for the car shed.
We are not against the Metro project. We just want the MMRDA to use government land instead. We are not ready to give our land as we will lose our livelihood.Pandharinath Bhoir, Secretary Kon-Gove Sangharh Samiti
The compensation offered by the development authority is less than the market value, he added. Metro Line 5 is likely to benefit over 2.9 lakh people, as it will cut the travel time between Thane and Kalyan.