MH: MSRDC proposes huge incentives for land acquisition for Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway

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MH: MSRDC proposes huge incentives for land acquisition for Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway

* MSRDC is executing the construction of a six-lane, 800-km 'communication super expressway' between Mumbai and Nagpur, for the Rs 30,000-crore project. 

*  Expected to bring down the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 16 hours to eight hours, and facilitate development in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions

* The compensation package proposed includes an annuity of Rs 60,000 or Rs 30,000 per hectare for a period of 10 years, depending on whether the land is irrigated or rain-fed. The annuity will increase by 10% every year. 

* 25% of the area acquired to be developed and returned.  Expects the price of the developed land to increase four-fold in 10 years, MSRDC has also agreed to buy back the land at a premium of 9% per annum, if the land value fails to rise. 

By Makarand Gadgil, Mumbai Mirror | Jun 14, 2016 

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is executing the construction of a six-lane, 800-km 'communication super expressway' between Mumbai and Nagpur, is banking on annuity and partial re-allotment of the developed land to ensure hassle-free land acquisition for the Rs 30,000-crore project. 

The MSRDC has recommended a compensation package wherein every farmer whose land parcels will be acquired for the project will be returned 25% of the developed land, and an annuity of Rs 60,000 or Rs 30,000 per hectare for a period of 10 years, depending on whether the land is irrigated or rain-fed. The annuity will increase by 10% every year. 

While MRSDC expects the price of the developed land to increase four-fold in 10 years, it has also agreed to buy back the land at a premium of 9% per annum, if the land value fails to rise. 

"We have sent the compensation proposal to the state Cabinet for approval. The acquisition will commence once we get the nod," the MSRDC vice-president and managing director, Radheshyam Mopalwar, said. 

Such compensation package was first used by the newly-formed Andhra Pradesh government to acquire 32,000 hectares land for its capital Amaravati. At a time when land acquisition is a big hurdle to infrastructure projects, often leading to agitations and prolonged legal battles resulting in time and cost overruns, the AP government completed the acquisition in just under six months. 

Following in the AP government footsteps, the agency hopes that the 6,000 hectares land acquisition will not be a hindrance to the year-end deadline for beginning of work set by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. 

In addition to bringing down the travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur from 16 hours to eight hours, the new expressway is also seen as the key to unlocking the potentials of regions such as Marathwada and Vidarbha. 

During the recently-held Make in India Week, many investors had shown interest in setting up industrial units Marathwada and Vidarbha if assured of better connectivity with Mumbai and the ports. The MSRDC sources said the proposal could be discussed in the state Cabinet meeting on June 21. 

The project, which has seen several delays, will run through Ghoti, near Nashik, Aurangabad and Amravati. In the first phase of the project, land acquisition will be completed and four-laning will be done. In the second phase, a six-lane concrete road with service roads and flyovers will be constructed.

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Land acquisition for Rs 30,000 cr Mumbai-Nagpur highway to begin soon 

* Compensation includes return of developed land, allotment of land pool ownership certificate and residential & commercial plots

Sanjay Jog | Mumbai | Business Standard | June 28, 2016 

Maharashtra government will soon launch the process to acquire 10,000 hectare for a Rs 30,000-crore, Mumbai-Nagpur super communication highway.

The project has been billed as the mega project to halve the 793-km travel time to eight hours. The government has prepared a comprehensive compensation package, which proposes to offer each family Rs 2,500 a month for 10 years or Rs 30,000 annually, roughly what the beneficiaries would make from cultivating three acres. Besides, a portion of the developed land would be returned to farmers after the completion of the project.

Further, the government plans to issue “land pool ownership” certificates. Farmers’ gains are mainly from the value accretion to the developed residential and commercial plots they are entitled to, amounting to up 35 per cent of the land acquired. The government may allot the residential and commercial plots to farmers as close as possible to their surrendered lands.

The state Cabinet is expected to clear the compensation package at its meeting slated for Tuesday.   State public works minister Eknath Shinde, who also heads MSRDC, told Business Standard, “The government will adopt a land pooling model which was recently implemented by the Andhra Pradesh government for the establishment of its Capital at Amravati. Farmers will be made partners in the project. Some percentage of developed land will be given back to farmers.” He further said the highway would connect the entire breadth of Maharashtra. Currently, a detailed project report was being prepared.

“The finances for project could be raised through various means such as borrowing, commercial exploitation of land, bonds. Many financial institutions have shown interest in the project. Creation of multiple smart cities along the highway is also envisaged. The government is exploring various means,” Shinde said.

The Asian Development Bank had the project appraisal while the Malaysian government had expressed interest in providing finance.

State-run Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, the nodal agency for the project, expects construction to start by end of December and end by September 2019.

The construction cost for the eight-lane expressway is estimated at Rs 30 crore per km, which involves six lanes of super communication highway and two lanes of service roads, utility shifting, bypass and other structures.

PARTNERING WITH FARMERS 

- Acquisition for highway to be done through land pooling method

 

- The real unlocking of value will be from the developed plots to be received from the government

 

- Project financing be done through borrowings, commercial exploitation of land, bonds

 

- The 793 km highway to reduce traveling time to 8 hours from 16 hours 

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MH: New land acquisition model for PAPs of Nagpur-Mumbai expressway  

Anjaya Anparthi | Times of India | Sept 3, 2016 

Nagpur: The state government has started to reach out to project-affected-persons (PAPs) of proposed Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE) with a new land acquisition model. To make it a smooth affair and give the PAPs a reason to hand over their agriculture land for the Maharashtra Samruddhi Expressway project, the government is offering non-agriculture land in the proposed new townships and annual compensation.

With the deadline to begin construction being December and its completion September 2019, the revenue department officials of Nagpur and Wardha districts are meeting the land owners to explain the new model. This will be followed by measurement of land and acquisition by means of negotiation or compulsory land acquisition.

SAMRUDDHI HIGHLIGHTS

* 8-lane road with length of 699.70km to be developed

* 24 new townships along the route

* Project divided into five packages of which first from Nagpur to end of Wardha district in Nagpur division

* Package-I comprises 89km and requires acquisition of 1,048 hectare land of which 864 hectare owned by private persons while remaining of government

"Around 10,000 hectare land will be required to be acquired in 12 districts through which the expressway will pass. Therefore, the government has worked out the annuity and land pooling model for the project on lines of Andhra Pradesh government model implemented for its new capacity city Amaravati. Model is very beneficial for PAPs," said an official.

Of the total stretch of 699.70km, 89km falls in Nagpur and Wardha districts in the division. Of the total 24 proposed new townships, four have been planned in the two districts with one near the city at Haladgaon in Hingna tehsil and remaining three in Wardha, Arvi and Selu tehsils.

The officials of two districts have worked out land to be acquired at 1,048 hectare in the division in which 864 hectare is private while remaining 184 under the government departments.

The new townships have been proposed in 500 hectare each and will have all types of infrastructure. The PAPs whose land will be acquired will be given developed and non-agriculture measuring 25% of total land area in case non-irrigated and 30% in case of irrigated in the new townships. PAPs of townships will get 30% of total land area.

PAPs will get Rs50,000 per annum for non-irrigated land while Rs1 lakh/annum for irrigated land for 10 years. The PAPs will also be given the option of amalgamation of plots and developing them. They will be given one floor space index. The PAPs can return the land to the government after 10 years in case they wish to do so. They will get the amount as per the ready reckoner value of 2013 with 9% interest per annum.

To safeguard the PAPs' families, the ownership of land in new townships and also annuity will be in the name of the man and woman owner. In case of widow or widower, the children's name will be registered on ownership documents.

Separate compensation will be given in case of any structures on the land. Compensation will also be given to in lieu of horticulture lands, wells, pipes etc. Industrial training will be given free of cost to one person of a PAP family. Women can also seek nursing courses for which too training will be free of cost.

The government had appointed coordinators for each of five stretches to expedite the project. Also, a division-level committee has been constituted for speedy land acquisition and welfare of PAPs. The committee is headed by divisional commissioner and comprises collector, chief engineer of public works department and joint managing director and one more representative from Maharashtra Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) that is implementing agency of the project.

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Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway: Land acquisition for 8-lane highway faces resistance 

* Under the acquisition policy, farmers whose land have been acquired will be given alternate developed land, which would be a percentage of the total land acquired from them.

Written by Zeeshan Sheikh, The Indian Express, October 10, 2016  

At a little over 5 feet, Keshav Mengal is one of the faces of the protests in this area against acquisition of land for one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects being spearheaded by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. It’s a project that plans to connect Mumbai and Nagpur through an eight-lane super communication highway.

“The government claims that it wants to connect rural and urban areas. But what about poor folks like us. Soon you may find Igatpuri taluka turn into a place of farmers without land,” says Mengal.

The Maharashtra government has planned a 710-km eight-lane Nagpur-Mumbai Supercommunication Expressway, to provide seamless connectivity across districts like Nagpur, Wardha, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana, Aurangabad, Jalna, Ahmednagar, Nashik and Thane. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is the nodal agency for the project.

The corridor is also likely to see development of 24 townships that would alter the landscape of 354 villages across 30 talukas. In Nashik district, it would snake through a 97-km stretch through Igatpuri and Sinnar talukas. The government has estimated that it would need to acquire land in 24 villages in Sinnar and 20 in Igatpuri. While the exact plan and details of the land needed to be acquired from these villages will be clear only after a full inspection, residents of some of these areas have refused to hand over their land. The MSRDC had to stop the survey work for a few days in Gonde due to resistance from locals.

“The landholdings of farmers in these areas are smaller compared to other parts of the district. Now, if you decide to take away a chunk of someone who holds only a hectare of land, how will people survive as agriculturists,” said Balu Kakad, a farmer from Igatpuri.

The plan document for the Rs 46,000-crore project says the purpose of the project is employment generation, growth of agricultural and agro-based activities, building infrastructure and slowing down the rate of migration from rural to urban Maharashtra. Rs 12,000 crore has been set aside for development of the 24 townships, which are supposed to be completed by 2019.

The total land acquisition required on the entire 710-km stretch is 20,820 hectares, of which 8,520 hectares would be for the road and nearly 12,000 hectares for development of the 24 nodes. In Nashik district, where problems are being faced, it will require 800 to 1,200 hectares.

Meanwhile, under the state’s acquisition policy, the farmers whose land have been acquired will be given alternate developed land, which would be a percentage of the total land acquired from them. For non-irrigated land, it would be 25 per cent and for irrigated land it would be 30 per cent of the total acquired land. The logic of returning only a small part of the total land acquired is that the value of the returned land goes up due to the development activities carried out by the state and the project-affected person thus gets compensated.

“Every acre of land given by farmers would fetch them between 10,000 to 13,000 sq ft of developed land depending on whether their land was irrigated or non-irrigated. The only difference is that it would be located in the same vicinity but at a distance from their original plot,” said MSRDC Managing Director R L Mopalwar.

However, the proposal has been met with scepticism by ruling alliance partner Shiv Sena, and elected representatives from the party are opposing the move. “We are not against development but the compensation that has been announced is not up to the mark. Land prices in Nashik district have skyrocketed over the past few years. The state needs to take into consideration the feelings of people who are parting with their land,” said Shiv Sena MP from Nashik Hemant Godse.

Officials of the MSRDC have however claimed that they will not force people to part with their land. They had deputed 30 interlocutors to interact with villagers in the area to create awareness about the project. The number of interlocutors have been increased to 45 now.

“There are issues with farmers in the region who are not willing to give their land. However, we are holding meetings with them to tell them about the benefit of the programme. There is resistance but we will be able to convince the farmers,” said Vitthal Sonawane, MSRDC Administrator, New Township, Nashik.

However, in spite of the state’s push, those like Keshav Mengal are adamant about not giving up their fight.

“The industrialisation and growth in this area over the years have ensured that farmers in the area sold their farms. However, now we are fearful of even losing our homes. I doubt if I would even get space to stand on this area a few years down the line. This is a fight to ensure that we get the right to stay on our own land,” said Mengal.