NASHIK: The Rs 300 crore- project of the Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (NMSCDCL) to establish a greenfield township in the Makhmalabad area on the outskirts of the city has hit a roadblock.

The agency had plans to acquire around 750 acres of land from the farmers to create basic infrastructure like roads, drainage lines etc but the farmers are refusing to give up their land.

“At this point, the project seems unlikely as the local farmers are opposed to parting with the land for the project. A delegation of the farmers met Nashik Municipal Corporation commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar on Thursday urging him to scrap the project,” NMC sources said.

Pulkundwar told TOI that the civic body will inform the state government about the farmers’ stand on the project. The state government will take a call about the fate of the project.

The issue had come up for discussion during a recent meeting chaired by chief minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai, in which senior government officials and NMC officials were present along with Nashik city MP Hemant Godse.

“The CM was of the view that if the farmers are not keen to give the land for the project, there is no point in implementing it. Moreover, the term of the NMSCDCL is ending in March, 2023. So it will be difficult for the agency to go ahead with this project as it is a long-drawn exercise,” said Godse.

Sumant More, CEO of NMSCDCL, said the draft of the greenfield project was sent to the state government in December 2020, but it is yet to be approved. He said there is a procedure that is to be followed in the greenfield project, which has been planned under the town planning (TP) scheme of the state.

“After the draft is approved, the state government must appoint an arbitrator, who will conduct hearings with the farmers and land-affected people. Thereafter, the arbitrator has to submit the report to the state government,” said the smart city CEO.