Shock, depression and anger grip Maval villages

A day after three farmers, including a woman, were killed in the police firing on the Pune-Mumbai Expressway, panic, depression, shock and anger gripped the villagers in Yelse, Shivane and Shivane-Sadawali villages of Maval taluka.

Kantabai Thakar of Yelse village, Moreshwar Sathe of Shivane and Shyamrao Tupe of Shivane-Sadawali, who were the sole earning members of the families, had participated in the protest against the closed water pipeline project bringing the Pawana dam waters to the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Kantabai, who used to work as a farmhand, used to earn Rs50 a day. Her husband and son are unemployed.

“Kantabai's son Nitin recently lost his job at a private firm. Her husband does not keep well and cannot work,” said Anjana Thakar, Kantabai’s sister-in-law. The Thakers cultivated  rice on their 20 gunthas of land.

Similar is the story of the Sathes. “Moreshwar used to drive a tractor for another farmer for Rs100 a day. He only had 20 gunthas of land and would cultivate rice,” said a relative, who did not wish to be named. He is survived by his wife Ranjana, son Akshay, 16, and daughter Lalita, 20. They are studying in Std X and XII respectively.

Shyamrao lived with his elder brothers Ramdas and Chintaman. “He had lost part of his one-and-a-half acre of land in the expressway project. Now what will the family do?” asked Maruti Deshmukh, a relative. “Now, his brothers will have to support his wife Hausabai and three-year-old son.”