'Bhiwandi Farmers Will Not Be Ruined Like Mill Workers': Former Union Minister Kapil Patil Hits Back Amid Warehouse Encroachment Row | VIDEO

Bhiwandi, May 15: The political confrontation over alleged encroachments on government land in Bhiwandi’s Pimplas area intensified on Thursday, as former Union Minister and ex-MP Kapil Patil launched a sharp counterattack against sitting MP Suresh Mhatre over the ongoing controversy surrounding warehouses constructed along the Mumbai-Nashik Highway bypass.

Dispute centres around Pimplas land

The dispute revolves around nearly 23 acres of land in the Pimplas belt near the Bhiwandi-Thane bypass, where allegations of encroachment on government land have triggered a political storm.

While MP Suresh Mhatre alias Balya Mama has reportedly approached the Bombay High Court seeking removal of alleged encroachments, Kapil Patil questioned whether the said land is officially recorded as government property in revenue documents at all.

Addressing a press conference in Bhiwandi, Kapil Patil said that illegal encroachments on government land should certainly be removed wherever they exist, but asserted that warehouses built by local farmers as part of Bhiwandi’s economic growth deserve support rather than political targeting.

“We will not allow Bhiwandi’s farmers to be destroyed like mill workers,” Patil declared, strongly defending local agriculturists who converted portions of their lands into warehouse and logistics businesses over the years.

Patil questions land ownership records

Patil stated that before any action is initiated, authorities must first verify whether the disputed 23-acre parcel in Pimplas is genuinely registered as government land in official records. He accused his political opponents of repeatedly dragging his name into controversies merely to gain publicity.

Recalling the region’s developmental transition, Patil pointed out that Bhiwandi taluka was included under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority in 2007, long before many current political figures entered mainstream politics.

He claimed that during his tenure in local governance, meetings were held with farmers to explain the large-scale changes expected after MMRDA’s entry into the region.

According to Patil, despite the inclusion of Bhiwandi in MMRDA’s planning framework in 2007, no concrete developmental steps were undertaken until December 2014, when then Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the first formal development plan for the region. He added that it was during this phase that the vision for an international-level logistics park in Bhiwandi was proposed.

Demand for warehouse regularisation

Patil further maintained that he and several other public representatives had consistently demanded the regularisation of unauthorised warehouses in order to protect the livelihood of local farmers and landowners who had become economically dependent on the warehousing sector.

“Our efforts have always been aimed at ensuring that the local farmers’ source of income survives,” he said, adding that he would continue fighting to protect Bhiwandi’s agrarian community from economic collapse.

In a direct political swipe, Patil also responded to allegations branding him as the “originator” of illegal warehouse culture in Bhiwandi. He alleged that the very leaders accusing him had themselves obtained stay orders from courts to protect their own allegedly illegal warehouses and constructions.

“Those making allegations have themselves admitted through court proceedings that their own warehouses and structures are illegal. They level accusations and answer them on their own. This is the peak of hypocrisy and falsehood,” Patil remarked.

Political tensions expected to escalate

The remarks have further escalated the already heated political atmosphere in Bhiwandi, where the rapid expansion of warehouses and logistics infrastructure over the last two decades has remained a contentious issue involving land ownership, urban planning, farmer interests, and alleged encroachments.

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With legal proceedings now underway and both camps hardening their positions, the controversy is expected to intensify further in the coming days.

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