'Build It Over Our Dead Bodies': Raigad Farmers Vow To Fight Third Mumbai Project To The End
'Build It Over Our Dead Bodies': Raigad Farmers Vow To Fight Third Mumbai Project To The End Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 14:47
'Build It Over Our Dead Bodies': Raigad Farmers Vow To Fight Third Mumbai Project To The End Published By, Last Updated: June 10, 2026, 14:47 IST Farmers from 124 villages met at Chirner Jungle Satyagraha memorial, invoking Raigad's 1930 land struggle as they vowed to resist MMRDA's Third Mumbai project by every means. Farmers at Chirner raised slogans: "Our land, our rights, our future" and "The land belongs to us, not to anyone's father." Thousands of farmers from across Raigad district gathered at the historic Chirner Jungle Satyagraha Hutatma Smarak to collectively pledge they would not surrender “an inch of land" for the proposed Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town — also called Third Mumbai — vowing to resist the ₹4,000-crore MMRDA project through legal, democratic and public means. The convention, organised by the MMRDA KSC Navnagar Virodhi Samiti, drew hundreds of farmers and residents from 124 villages across Uran, Panvel and Pen. The venue was deliberately chosen to evoke the legacy of the 1930 Chirner Jungle Satyagraha, with organisers framing the movement as a continuation of Raigad’s historic struggle for land rights.
Slogans such as “Our land, our rights, our future" and “The land belongs to us, not to anyone’s father" rang through the gathering. What Is The Third Mumbai Project? Detail Facts Project name Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town / Third Mumbai Managed by MMRDA Estimated cost ₹4,000 crore Area covered ~323 sq km Talukas affected Uran, Panvel, Pen, Karjat, Alibag Villages covered 198 revenue villages State objective Decongest Mumbai; create economic hub linked to Atal Setu, Navi Mumbai International Airport and JNPA What Triggered The Latest Convention? The gathering came days after Maharashtra’s urban development department approved the appointment of Singapore-based Surbana Jurong Infrastructure Pte Ltd as general consultant to prepare the master plan — a move farmers read as the state accelerating the project despite mounting opposition. Rupesh Patil, general secretary of the Virodhi Samiti, alleged that nearly 25,000 written objections filed after the project’s notification of March 4, 2024, had been ignored before the state approved its land policy, the Hindustan Times reported. What Are Farmers Demanding? Farmer groups rejected the state’s compensation framework — which offers cash, TDR, FSI or a 22.5% developed land-return model introduced via a Government Resolution on March 16 — and instead demanded implementation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
They also raised concerns over rehabilitation, gaothan expansion and property rights. What Did Speakers Say? Bombay High Court judge Justice B.G. Kolse Patil set the tone with a blunt warning. “If the government wants to build Third Mumbai, it will have to build it over the dead bodies of the farmers. This movement must remain in the hands of the people. The strength of the people is greater than the strength of any government," he told the gathering, HT reported. Sudhakar Patil, president of the Virodhi Samiti, said the agitation went beyond compensation. “This is a fight to save our villages, homes, livelihoods, self-respect and existence. The government’s policy favours large investors, while asking farmers to surrender ancestral land without adequate safeguards or clarity on rehabilitation," he was quoted by HT. Social activist Ulka Mahajan added that constitutional norms had been bypassed. “The government has given short shrift to laws, democratic processes and constitutional norms. Decisions affecting thousands of families cannot be taken without meaningful consultation," she said. MMRDA, however, maintained that the project was being implemented in accordance with statutory procedures and was intended to balance planned urban growth with the interests of existing villages and surrounding communities.
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