Navi Mumbai, June 10 -- Hundreds of farmers and residents of 124 villages across Uran, Panvel and Pen have taken a collective oath not to surrender even "an inch of land" for the proposed Karnala-Sai-Chirner (KSC) New Town, or Third Mumbai, declaring that they would resist the project through legal, democratic and public means. The resolution was adopted at a convention organised by the MMRDA KSC Navnagar Virodhi Samiti on Sunday at the historic Chirner Jungle Satyagraha Hutatma Smarak, where participants raised slogans such as "Our land, our rights, our future" and "The land belongs to us, not to anyone's father". Organisers said the venue was deliberately chosen to evoke the legacy of the 1930 Chirner Jungle Satyagraha, portraying the movement as a continuation of Raigad's historic struggle for land rights. The convention was organised days after Maharashtra's urban development department approved the appointment of Singapore-based Surbana Jurong Infrastructure Pte Ltd as the general consultant to prepare the master plan for the proposed KSC New Town, signalling the state's determination to push ahead with the project despite mounting opposition. Managed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the proposed Rs.4,000-crore project covers nearly 323 sq km in the Uran, Panvel and Pen talukas. The state government says its objective is to decongest Mumbai and create a major economic hub linked to the Atal Setu, the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority (JNPA). However, local farmer groups and village representatives fear the project could lead to large-scale displacement and disruption of agricultural and fishing livelihoods. Addressing Sunday's gathering, former Bombay High Court judge, justice BG Kolse Patil, said, "If the government wants to build Third Mumbai, it will have to build it over the dead bodies of the farmers. This movement must remain in the hands of the people. The strength of the people is greater than the strength of any government." He also recalled the successful agitation against the establishment of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Raigad in 2006. Sudhakar Patil, president of the MMRDA KSC Navnagar Virodhi Samiti, said the agitation went far beyond compensation. "This is a fight to save our villages, homes, livelihoods, self-respect and existence. The government's policy favours large investors, while asking farmers to surrender ancestral land without adequate safeguards or clarity on rehabilitation," he said. Rupesh Patil, the committee's general secretary, alleged that nearly 25,000 written objections filed after the project notification of March 4, 2024, had been ignored before the state approved the land policy. "If we sell today, we won't be able to buy even half a gunta of land tomorrow. Our land has become prime real estate because of projects like the Atal Setu and the Navi Mumbai International Airport. If we surrender now, our future generations will become landless in their own villages." Social activist Ulka Mahajan added, "Decisions affecting thousands of families cannot be taken without meaningful consultation." The agitation against the project has intensified since the state issued a Government Resolution on March 16 introducing a participatory land acquisition framework, offering compensation through cash, Transferable Development Rights (TDR), Floor Space Index (FSI) or a 22.5% developed land-return model. Farmer groups instead demanded the implementation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, while also raising concerns over rehabilitation, gaothan expansion and property rights. MMRDA, however, maintains that the project is being implemented in accordance with statutory procedures....