Panvel Residents Commence Indefinite Fast in Protest Against CIDCO's NAINA Scheme

In a determined stand against the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) scheme proposed by CIDCO, Panvel villagers have initiated an indefinite fast, declaring it a do-or-die protest until their demand for the withdrawal of the controversial scheme is met.

The NAINA project, covering a 371 sq km area with 174 villages within a 25 km radius of the Navi Mumbai airport, has encountered grassroots opposition since its planning a decade ago. The unconventional land acquisition approach involves land pooling by villagers, with CIDCO retaining 60% for infrastructure development and Project Affected Persons (PAPs) receiving the remaining 40% along with 2.5 Floor Space Index (FSI), without monetary compensation.

The opposition, notably led by the NAINA Prakalp Badhit Shetkari Utkarsh Samiti, a farmers' body, has manifested through various protests, including a recent padyatra to Mantralaya, a Gaon Bandh chain protest, and a bike rally demanding the cancellation of the NAINA scheme.

Frustrated by minimal responses from authorities, the villagers organized a rally from Shirdhon village, the birthplace of freedom fighter Adya Krantiveer Vasudev Balwant Phadke, chanting slogans such as "Shetkari Bachai NAINA hatao" to underscore their demand for the scheme's withdrawal.

The indefinite fast, initiated on Wednesday at Turmale village along the Mumbai-Goa road, involves local Project Affected Persons (PAP) Anil Dhavle and a female participant. The protest, reinforced by a public meeting attended by numerous PAP leaders, is marked by a strong determination to persist until their demands are addressed.

Anil Dhavle, a leading figure in the protest, stated, "This is a do-or-die protest for us, as previous demonstrations failed to move the authorities. Our mission will continue until our demand is met. NAINA is destroying our fields, the environment, and everything else in the region, and we will not allow it."

Former MLC Balaram Patil criticized NAINA as a government land-grabbing technique and questioned the insistence on the land pooling scheme. Patil urged that Panvel's villages be placed under the Urban Development Control Promotion and Regulation (UDCPR) by the Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA).

He concluded, "There has been no response from the government on our demands, and hence, we have resorted to this indefinite fast, with six people participating initially and more expected to join in the coming days."