Big B, a dam and the damned

On tuesday afternoon, a mere 100 kilometres from the supercharged glamour of Bollywood and under the shadow of swanky Amby Valley near Lonav...

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On tuesday afternoon, a mere 100 kilometres from the supercharged glamour of Bollywood and under the shadow of swanky Amby Valley near Lonavala, the Big B’s ‘timeless superstar’ status took a hammering as 70-odd farmers led by labour leader Baba Adhav made the wide open expanses of his sprawling property resound with full-throated cries of Amitabh Bachchan chale jao!.

The farmers — displaced by the 1972 construction of the Pavana dam and yet to be rehabilitated — also took token ‘possession’ of the property by stringing up a ‘Maharashtra State Dam & Project-Affected Parishad’ banner across the gates.

According to Adhav, Bachchan’s property (registered under son Abhishek’s name) and several other properties in the area rightfully belong to the original residents (farmers) of the region, who gave it up when the government acquired it for the dam’s construction.

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Adhav said approximately 1,200-1,800 acre was surplus after the catchment area was affixed following the dam’s construction, which should have rightfully been returned to the original owners.

‘‘Instead, the government has allowed wealthy individuals to take possession of major portions of the land, based on promissory notes obtained from the farmers by the present occupants. How can promissory notes be issued when the land had already been acquired by the government?’’ Adhav said.

He said the government resolution during the acquisition had clearly stated that surplus land, after the dam construction, should be returned to the owners. ‘‘But it never happened,’’ he said.

Adhav also announced that the farmers would attempt to disrupt the ongoing renovation work at the dam on Wednesday. ‘‘Once repaired, the water will go to the PCMC, Talegaon and DCB areas, with none for us,’’ he added.

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The protest march, which got under way at Kale Colony (Pavana Nagar) at around noon with a short address by Adhav, proceeded on a 11-kilometre trek to the undeveloped Bachchan property near Lonavala.

The protestors — mostly elderly men and women — wound their way up the beautifully landscaped estates along the banks of the Pavana dam reservoir bearing ‘Private Property’ signboards.

The signboards were the last straw for Parishad organising secretary Laxmanrao ‘Bapu’ Pasalkar. ‘‘Only 400 Pavana dam project-affected families have been rehabilitated with up to four acres each in other areas, while another 850 are yet to be rehabilitated,’’ Pasalkar claimed, even as Adhav exhorted the farmers to keep up the momentum.