Revenue minister orders fresh proposal on Jigaon land acquisition within 8 days

Nagpur: Maharashtra revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Tuesday directed the Buldhana district administration to submit a revised proposal within eight days regarding land acquisition for the Jigaon irrigation project. This project has been delayed due to pending compensation claims.
The project, designed to benefit farmers across 287 villages in Buldhana and Akola districts, has seen 8,782 unresolved claims, with farmers demanding a 40% increase in compensation, a statement issued by the minister's office said.
At a high-level review meeting held at Mantralaya, Bawankule emphasised the urgency of resolving the dispute. "The Jigaon project is crucial for agricultural irrigation. Farmers must receive fair compensation. A new proposal with a 25% increased compensation for direct purchase should be submitted immediately," he said.
The minister instructed that a joint meeting of farmers, officials, and legal representatives be convened to expedite the process. Once the proposal is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Authority to take a final decision.
Bawankule also proposed holding a special Lok Adalat to fast-track the settlement of pending claims, ensuring farmers have the opportunity to present their side. So far, only 565 of the 8,782 land acquisition cases have been resolved.
The Jigaon project, with a planned storage capacity of 26 TMC, is expected to provide irrigation benefits to villages across Nandura, Jalgaon, Jamod, Shegaon, Khamgaon, Sangrampur, and Malkapur talukas in Buldhana, and Telhara and Balapur in Akola district.
Chief secretary Deepak Kapoor, water resources secretary Sanjay Belsare, principal secretary Milind Mhaiskar, chief engineer Sanjay Tatu, and Buldhana collector Kiran Patil were among those present at the review meeting.
Jigaon irrigation project in a nutshell
* Envisaged for farmers in Buldhana and surrounding areas
* Cost jumped from Rs394 crore to Rs5,700 crore in 15 years
* Comprises construction of dam on Purna river, canals, sub-canals & lift irrigation facilities
* Storage capacity is 736 million cubic metre & irrigation potential is 84,240 hectare
* Five bridges are being built at the cost Rs450 crore, out of two are of not much use