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Thousands of farmers from Raigad district have intensified their opposition to the proposed Karnala-Sai-Chirner New Town project widely referred to as Third Mumbai with a large convention held in Uran reaffirming their resolve to resist land acquisition. The protest, organised by the KSC New Town Project Opposition Committee, comes after MMRDA formally initiated land acquisition procedures across 124 villages in the Uran, Panvel, and Pen talukas of Raigad, following a state government resolution issued in March 2026. Villagers allege inadequate consultation, threat to agrarian livelihoods, and legal bypassing of the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
Thousands of farmers and residents from across Raigad district gathered in Uran earlier this month to collectively pledge resistance to the Maharashtra government's Third Mumbai urban development project, with protest leaders warning of sustained legal and street-level agitation if land acquisition proceeds without addressing community concerns.
The convention, organised by the KSC New Town Project Opposition Committee at the Martyrs' Memorial in Chirner, drew farmers, activists, and former elected representatives. Participants paid tribute to the martyrs of the historic Chirner uprising and took a collective oath rooted in the ideals of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar before hearing addresses from several voices opposing the project.
Former judge and social activist B.G. Kolse Patil, who addressed the gathering, mounted a sustained critique of the state government's approach, warning that a stronger movement would follow if authorities advanced the project without meaningful dialogue with landowners. He questioned the rationale for targeting Raigad's fertile farmland and argued that development pursued without farmer consent could not be considered legitimate.
The proposed Third Mumbai project, executed through the New Town Development Authority (NTDA) under the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), covers a notified area of 323.44 sq km across Uran, Panvel, and Pen talukas. The state issued notifications in March 2026, transferring 124 villages for development planning under the NTDA and opening a 30-day objection window. In late April, MMRDA directed landowners to submit online consent forms along with Aadhaar cards, 7/12 extracts, and 8A land-holding records, formally initiating acquisition.
The state's compensation policy, anchored in a government resolution dated 16 March 2026, stipulates that 22.5 per cent of developed land will be returned to original landowners — a framework modelled on the CIDCO approach used in building Navi Mumbai. It is precisely this comparison that has sharpened opposition. Farmers from the Agri-Koli community, which lost landholdings during Navi Mumbai's earlier development, warn they cannot afford a second displacement. Sudhakar Patil of Uran Samajik Sanstha noted that coastal village residents simultaneously depend on farming, fishing, sand mining, and salt pan activity all livelihoods threatened by acquisition. He also alleged the NTDA's creation was designed to bypass Project Affected Person protections under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013.
Kolse Patil challenged the 22.5 per cent return as inadequate, questioning whether landowners were expected to function as builders, and raised unresolved concerns over village grazing lands being treated as government property.
The gathering also heard from former MLA Manohar Bhoir, activists Vaishali Patil and Ulka Mahajan, and advocates Suresh Patil and Meghnath Patil. Advocate Achyut Patil of Pen, a veteran of earlier land acquisition legal battles in the region, vowed to continue opposition through both courts and public protest.
The broader formation opposing the project — the MMRDA Virodhi Shetkari Samiti, Raigad — has been conducting village-level awareness meetings, helping residents register formal objections and urging gram panchayats to pass resolutions against acquisition. MMRDA has not publicly responded to the objections raised by affected communities.
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