Guttedar alleges delay in compensation for farmers in Walwandwadi lake project

Former Aland MLA Subhash Guttedar alleged serious lapses in the implementation of the Walwandwadi lake project in Aland taluk, stating that farmers who had parted with their land for the project were yet to receive compensation and were facing severe distress.

Addressing at a press conference here on Saturday, Mr. Guttedar said that during his tenure, lake projects had been sanctioned at five locations, including Walwandwadi, Tadkal, Kaulga and Kadaganchi, and that nearly half of the work on the Walwandwadi lake had been completed.

He alleged that although a revised proposal for the lake project was approved during the tenure of the present legislator B.R. Patil, the work had not begun even after several months, with contractors’ payments pending, and nearly ₹5 crore in compensation to farmers yet to be released.

Mr. Guttedar said that 27 farmers had surrendered about 125 acres of land for the project and were now left without agricultural land or financial security. He criticised Mr. Patil for failing to deliver on promises, stating that despite claims of constructing 200 lakes, not a single project had been completed.

Referring to Mr. Patil’s frequent references to the ‘Shirpur model’ of development, Mr. Guttedar alleged that the ground reality reflected neglect rather than progress, with farmers in Walwandwadi village pushed into hardship and continuing to suffer without relief.