The Times of India                21.04.2013

Nashik Municipal Corporation seeks Rs 200 crore to acquire land

NASHIK: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) has demanded Rs 200 crore from the government to acquire land for the Simhastha Kumbh mela 2015, but is unsure if it will get the entire amount and also if the land would be acquired permanently.

Around 274 acres of land need to be acquired for the sadhugram for the coming mela, as the NMC has acquired only 54 acres of the total requirement of 328 acres since the last Kumbh mela.

"We have demanded for Rs 200 crores for permanent land acquisition, but will have to see how much we get. It will take some time to acquire land on a permanent basis. The other option is for the district collector to acquire the land on a temporary basis four or five months before the Kumbh mela," said municipal commissioner Sanjay Khandare. "There are some feelers from the government that the corporation should formulate some strategies. We are working on it," he said.

Meanwhile, the akhadas of sadhus have demanded that the land be acquired for sadhugram on a permanent basis. "Not only do the sadhus have a say in this matter, but the land owners also. They ask why they should give away their land for such a short period. But since the land is reserved, it has to be acquired," said Khandare.

The commissioner said he felt the land should be acquired but keeping around 325 acres of land idle for 11 years would amount to a huge waste. "Some activity should be conducted to generate revenue when the Kumbh mela is over. This will even keep away the encroachments," Khandare said.