Thane collector asked to check if Tarapur PAPs can get farm land

Can one hectare of agricultural, and not coastal land, be given to the 433 families that were rehabilitated after setting up the Tarapur Nuclear Power Project in Palghar?

The Bombay high court, on Monday, directed the Thane district collector to conduct a feasibility study and submit a report within three weeks.

The collector will meet the villagers from Unbhat and Kopran and check if around 400 hectares of state-owned land is available on the periphery of Unbat village in Palghar.

During the earlier hearing, the state had not objected to providing coastal land  to the fishermen who were rehabilitated 5km away after the project was set up.

On Monday, BJP leader Ram Naik and advocate KN Kore informed the court that the two villages had held a meeting and predicted that there would be problems if coastal land is allotted to the rehabilitated fishermen near Unbhat village. When Naik suggested that the rehabilitated villagers were willing to give up their demand for coastal land if they are given agricultural land, the court directed the Thane district collector to study its feasibility.