Landless & orphaned, Dharma Patil sons await justice

"We lost our father. We are landless farmers and have nothing to lose. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is our only hope," says Narendra Patil, whos father Dharma Patil died in JJ hospital recently after he attempted suicide at Mantralaya. The 35-year-old is a resident of Vikharan (Shindkheda) in Dhule district, a village 400 km from Mumbai.

Narendra works in medical store in Surat in Gujarat and said that his brother is going through a difficult phase. "I never imagined that we will be landless in our own village," he said. He was attending to guests and political visitors who have been flocking his small house at Vikharan after his father's death.

"My father ran from pillar to post to seek justice for the past two years. He lost all hope and faith in the government and ended his life in frustration. We have no option but to trust the government for a month. Energy Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule and the local MLA and tourism minister Jaikumar Rawal had also promised that we will have justice in a month. We will decide what to do after that," he said.

Dharma Patil had five acres of land and 600 mango plants at a drought prone region in Vikharan. His five-acre land was acquired for development of a Rs-500 crore solar plant project. "We thought the compensation will be good and will enable us to buy another land for agriculture. But destiny had something else in store. Today, we have neither our land, nor our father. We are orphaned," he lamented.

He said that the government machinery and its agent system murdered their father systematically. "We were the first to give up our land along with our neighbour Padam Singh Girase, whose one-acre land was given up for the project. We both had mango plants in our farms. On the same day, we received the notice of the government acquiring the land. On the same day, government acquired our land also, but there were huge difference in our compensations amount," Patil said.

One acre of Girase's land fetched him Rs 1.89 crore, while Patil's five acres got him a mere Rs 1.84 lakh. "When we came to know that our neibhour got so much money and we got only peanuts, we could not believe it. How it is possible? That day, my father could not sleep. He felt cheated by the system and wanted justice from a higher authority," said Patil.

Dharma Patil decided investigate personally, to understand why this happened. "We came to know that the agent, DJ Desale, had helped them to get so much money. While doing the panchnama, the agriculture and survey officials did not show a mango trees on our farm. So, they devalued our land and at the same time, increased the value of the adjoining one," he said.

"The villagers came to know that Desale also got an equal share in compensation. Girase had promised him 50 per cent and that was the deal," he said.

"When I asked my mother, she told me that the agent also asked us for 50 per cent of the compensations. But our father did not believe in corruption and malpractice. My father was a true Gandhian and fought till his last breath. Besides, why should we share our compensation with any one? He refused to pay the compensation with the agent and his syndicate. So the government deliberately devalued our land.My father knocked on all doors, including that of the local MLA to ministers, from junior to senior officials in Dhule and Mumbai, but in vain," said Patil.

Ramsingh Rajput, another resident of Vikharan, is also heading the agitation of the affected people. He said that the agents were thriving and making big money in the land acquisition scam. "There is a big racket. The government officials, agent and politicians are pocketing huge sums in the land acquisitions process. If you have barren land, the agent helps you plant mango or other fruit trees before the government survey. If you have mango trees on our farm, you get Rs 30,000 per mango plant and Rs 6,000 for pomegranate. But we have to split the amount with the syndicate," he said.

Rajput said the agent, government survey and agriculture officials were thick-skinned and engrossed in corruption. "To ensure that the farmer paid the promised 50 per cent, the agent illegally put down their names on the 7/12 extract even after the notifications. Once the notification is issued, no one can sell the land or change the names on the 7/12 extract. But no one follows the rules when it come to corruption," he said.

Narendra Patil said that the recent meeting in Mantralaya was the last hope for his father. "My father told me, if we did not get justice, then he would end his life. We were called for a meeting on January 22 but it was abruptly canceled. This was a big shock for him and he ended his struggle at Mantralaya," he said.

When asked about the budget and its announcement for farmers, Narendra Patil said that they had no time to read the newspapers or see the TV. "We are more concerned about our father death. Justice would be the real tribute to him," he said.

Dhashrath Ahire, sarpanch of Vikharam, said earlier, the government had announced the Rs 22,000-crore thermal power plant at Vikharan, Kampuri, Methi and Varzadh in Shindekheda. "In the thermal plant, the government had made provisions for 5 per cent of the total project cost to be spent on infrastructure development and water supply in our villages. They promised us jobs here. However, later they cancelled the project without any information and replaced it with a solar plant. The change of project should have been approved by the village panchayats, but the government did not bother," said the sarpanch.

Ahire said that the solar plant was also acquiring animal-grazing lands close to the village. "We lost our lands and so cannot farm. Another profession is animal husbandry. If there is no gavran land, where we will take our animals for grazing?" asked Ahire. He said that the incumbent government had destroyed them completely. Therefore, the ratio of migration had increased. Most of the jobless youth are migrating to Gujarat in the textile and diamond polishing industry," he informed.

When Narendra Patil spoke to his guests, he was informed that the Union minister for State, Defence and local BJP MP Subhas Bhamre was also coming to meet them. Then, chairs were laid in a row and each one waited for the minister. Bhamre came and sat silently for few minutes. One villager came with a bundle of papers and handed it to him saying that he was giving him the same papers for the fifth time. "We met Bhamre when he was MP and now he is a minister. But he could not resolve our problems. Each time, he only gives patient hearings," said a local villager.

Bhamre told the crowd that Dharma Patil's death was unfortunate. "It happened because of miscommunication," he said.

Nana Patole, OBC leader and ex-BJP MP, also visited Vikharan on Friday and said that he had written to the Collector and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding a high-0level judicial inquiry into the matter.