Aurangabad: The Shramik Mukti Dal will begin a sit-in agitation for farmers affected by irrigation projects at 10 am on Tuesday in front of the office of the district collector. Farmers whose lands were taken up for dam projects say they will continue to agitate until their demands are met.Ex-serviceman Sukhdev Ban, who is the district chief of Shramik Mukti Dal, says farmers from across the state will join, and about 100 participants are expected. The stir will be guided by Shramik Mukti Dal president Bharat Patankar.“The demands of farmers and landless persons been long pending before the administration and the government,” Ban said.Provision of substitute lands from Gangapur Bhendala Agriculture Corporation to the farmers affected by the Tembhapuri Dam project and return of plots and lands in Jayakwadi to the original owners on lease comprise key demands. Ban said several assurances have been given by the government on the Tembhapuri Dam project since 2013. “In Jayakwadi, the government had acquired land to raise a residential colony for people in the project. However, till date, no utilisation of the said land is done. So we are demanding that the land be returned to original owners,” he said.Farmers affected by land disputes and projects in Warudi village of Paithan will also gather at the protest. Several meetings in the past with the district collector, other officials and government authorities have failed to bear results, so this stir is a measure of last resort – and it will continue until demands are met, Ban said.

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