Page:Sharad Joshi - Leading Farmers to the Centre Stage.pdf/322

 profit in the process. After much negotiation the government which was then ruled by the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance agreed to allow this Company to develop half of the land MIDC was planning to acquire. Accordingly, the acquisition process of this portion of land was stopped by MIDC. The Company made plans to develop the first sector of 250 acres out of that land. The bhumipujan ceremony took place at the hands of Shiv Sena Chief Balasaheb Thackeray on 12 March 1999 at Ambethan. Narayan Rane, the then Chief Minister and Manohar Joshi, former Chief Minister were both present. G. R. Godse of Pune, a retired town-planner of MIDC, made all the layouts of the plots and also devised water supply scheme. Unfortunately, as months passed by, several difficulties kept cropping up. According to Sanjay Panse, a well-known chartered accountant from Mumbai who worked tirelessly on the project, often the title of a particular plot would be in the name of someone but several other claimants also emerged claiming compensation as owners of that plot. It seemed that there were disputes pending for many years over the title which were not resolved and hence it became difficult to finalize who would be beneficiary of that plot. Sometimes every possible known relative of the farmer appeared in person to claim compensation. Moreover, a few farmers refused to sell their plot though they had earlier agreed to do so. Under MIDC Act, when land was acquired and compensation was paid to the holders of the land as per land records, the title of the land without any defects/claims passed on to MIDC. The demand was made with the State Government, that it should give similar rights to the Company, as were given to MIDC. Panse recollects several rounds of discussion with the then Industry Secretary. Search for New Ways

Q

301