Divisional Commissioners Must Act Immediately: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar

Meeting Held on Rehabilitation and Land Allotment Proposals for Koyna Dam Project-Affected People

Mumbai : The sacrifice made by the Koyna Dam project-affected people for the state is significant. Providing them with alternative land is the government’s responsibility. District Collectors of Pune, Satara, Sangli, and Solapur must immediately verify the land allotment proposals received for these project-affected individuals and submit them to the Pune Divisional Commissioner by the end of this month. The Divisional Commissioner should verify the applications and hold a meeting with the affected people’s associations in the first fortnight of June to expedite land distribution to eligible beneficiaries, directed Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at a meeting held today at the Mantralaya.

The issues of full rehabilitation and alternative land allotment for the Koyna project-affected have been pending for a long time. Currently, lists of 310 eligible affected individuals in Satara district and 215 in Sangli district have been prepared. The land allotment process for them must be completed immediately. District Collectors from the remaining districts must also examine their respective proposals and forward them to the Divisional Commissioner for further action. The Divisional Commissioner will take decisions at their level, and any matters requiring resolution at the government level will be forwarded to the state government for prompt decisions, Pawar stated.

The meeting at the Mantralaya, chaired by Deputy CM Pawar, was attended by Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Patil, Principal Secretary of the Rural Development Department Eknath Dawale, Acting Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department Saurabh Vijay, Deputy CM’s Secretary Dr. Rajesh Deshmukh, Konkan Divisional Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi, leader of the affected people and Shramik Mukti Dal President Dr. Bharat Patankar, and organizer of the Koyna Dam-Affected and Wildlife Sanctuary-Affected Sangram Organization Chaitanya Dalvi, along with representatives of the project-affected and senior officials. Pune Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar, Satara Collector Santosh Patil, Sangli Collector Ashok Kakade, and Solapur Collector Kumar Ashirwad also participated in the meeting via video conference.