AP model for land pooling scheme

PUNE: Impressed by Andhra Pradesh chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu's land pooling scheme for building his dream capital Amaravati, the Pune officials are mulling over making it the base of the rehabilitation package for farmers losing plots in Purandar - the proposed international airport site.
A team of officials from Pune had visited the state last week. One of its members told TOI that the scheme undertaken in Andhra Pradesh to acquire land from farmers was unique and it could be an important base of the rehabilitation package for land losers in Purandar.
The authorities stressed an official team would visit Kochi in Kerala this week and another would go to Navi Mumbai. Thus, the rehabilitation scheme for Purandar farmers is expected to include the features of the models followed in those three places, making it farmer-friendly.
Vishwas M, Patil, the vice-chairman and managing director of MADC (Maharashtra Airport Development Company Limited) had earlier said utmost care would be taken to ensure the farmers at Purandar got proper compensation.
An administrative official told TOI requesting anonymity, "The Andhra Pradesh government has initiated the land pooling scheme (LPS) and has successfully acquired around 32,000 acres there. A detailed study of the scheme was undertaken during the team's visit there last week. Once the state government acquires land of a farmer, a part of it is given back to the owner for use. The scheme has been a huge success. A report on it is being prepared and it would be forwarded to the authorities concerned."
Under the LPS scheme, land losers are given back developed residential and commercial plots ranging between 900 and 1,700 square yards against every acre they surrender to the government. Besides, the land losers will receive an annual compensation between Rs30,000 and Rs50,000 per acre with a 10% increase per annum for 10 years.
"Though two more models are to be studied and a team is set to visit Kerala this week, the LPS scheme is very interesting. It can be the base on which the rehabilitation package for the landowners of Purandar can rest on. But with two more compensation and rehabilitation packages to be studied, the package for Purandar can be a mixed bag taking into account the good things of all the three models," the official said.
"The Kochi airport model is also interesting and successful. The land losers get a part of their developed land free of cost. The studies will bring out its more details. The idea is to create a rehabilitation package including aspects of all the models we are studying and adjusting them in accordance with the ground level scene of Pune. We don't want it to be an exact rip-off of any of the rehabilitation schemes being studied. Things will be clear very soon," the official said.
The landowners in Purandar are still not ready to budge, though. "First, we shall not allow any ground level survey to take place here. Second, whatever package is announced, we shall say a strict no from our side. We just want our land and our village," said Sachin Laxman Aherkar, a resident of Rajewadi.