Once the second phase gets over, only six of the 17 villages that came under acquisition for the SEZ will remain in the third phase. The government had notified 7,166 hectares encompassing 17 villages for the multi-product SEZ.

Deputy Collector and Officer on Special Duty (OSD) of MIDC Gajanan Patil said they had issued the section 32 (2) notices to the seven villages and in a month, they could put up suggestions and objections. “We have finished measurement and issuing of notices for Pur, Chaudharwadi, Gosasi, Retawadi, Warude, Wafgaon and Pabal. It should take us three months to finalise the rehabilitation package for these villages,” he said. Discussions for the package would be conducted with the district collector and the villagers after the period of notice is over.

Although the package would remain the same, there would be discussions regarding the cash component, he said. He was not willing to comment whether it would remain Rs 17 lakh per hectare as was given for the four villages.

Now termed ‘ideal package”, the original package involved the farmer getting a cash component of Rs 17 lakh per hectare as well as additional sops such as guaranteed employment to one person from every project-affected family and a buyback option for farmers up to 15 per cent of the developed land after paying the original cost of the land plus an additional 50 per cent. MIDC has nearly completed disbursing the cash package of Rs 213 crore to Nimgaon, Kanersar, Dhawadi and Kendur villages. “Up to 95 per cent disbursement is completed. Few cases remain because of some legal problems,” said Patil.