Jaitapur N-Power Plant: Land For Power
- 968 hectares The nuclear plant site covers five villages: Madban, Niveli, Karel, Mithgavane, Varliwada, all in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra
- Land acquisition ordered in 2007. Land cleared for acquisition: 968 hectares.
- 14.85 Rs-cr Compensation earmarked by the state government
- 1.38 Rs-cr Amount paid out so far
- 1.2-1.5 Rs-lakh/acre Price initially offered to villagers
- 4 Rs-lakh Later upped to Rs 4 lakh
- 10 Rs-lakh This year, the state government has offered Rs 10 lakh per acre plus one job to every family displaced by the project
- 2,400 Families affected by land acquisition
- 40 Only 40 have accepted compensation so far, but some of them are rethinking their stand
- 40,000 The plant affects the livelihood of 40,000 locals, including about 16,000 directly dependent on fishing
- 2,200 Rs-cr Land was shown as “barren” in the initial environment impact assessment reports. But the district is famous for mangoes, chiefly the alphonso variety. Annual turnover: Rs 2,200 crore. In 2003, Ratnagiri was even declared a “horticulture zone”.
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For two days last week, large swathes of Ratnagiri district—home to the world-famous alphonso mango—shut down after unprecedented violence. April is when fishermen remain busy and orchard owners pack the best pick of the mango for Mumbai and beyond. This year, however, April brought death. Tabrez Sayekar, a 30-year-old fisherman from Sakhri Nate village, took three bullets and died on April 18 when police fired to quell a huge mob protesting against the proposed 9,900 mw nuclear power plant in Jaitapur.
