Daijiworld Media Network – Chiplun

Chiplun, Sep 14: In a historic step to safeguard land and natural resources, the Morwane Gram Panchayat in Chiplun taluka has unanimously resolved that no land in the village will be sold to outsiders or to people from neighbouring districts.

The resolution, passed during the recent Gram Sabha, states that land can be sold only to fellow villagers and only if a family is in genuine need. Though not legally binding, villagers have pledged to treat it as a strict social obligation and to oppose any attempt to bypass it.

Konkan’s scenic beauty and mild climate have drawn buyers from Mumbai, Pune and other regions, leading to extensive purchases of farmland for farmhouses and resorts. Villagers fear this trend is depleting natural water sources, damaging forests and threatening the future of local youth who struggle to find land for farming or housing.

During the Gram Sabha, residents warned that moneyed outsiders disrupt the social balance and that unchecked land deals could leave no land for future generations. The resolution reflects a collective stand to preserve natural resources and protect centuries-old trees and water bodies.

“This decision is a message of unity and a commitment to keep our land for our children,” a villager said after the meeting.

The Morwane move, under the banner “village land in the village,” is being seen as an example for other Konkan villages to resist speculative land deals and conserve the region’s fragile ecology.