Protesting against what they describe as “all-round failure” for 37 years to resettle the people of erstwhile Sheva village displaced due to the development of Jawaharlal Nehru Port in Raigad district, the project affected families have decided to resume their ‘Channel Bandh’ agitation blocking ship movements to the country’s largest container port.
The ‘Channel Bandh’ agitation, launched on February 26, had been suspended due to the intervention of Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare and promises by the Raigad District Collector and the police that the issue would be resolved.
“But seven months down the line we do not find any signs of a solution,” said Suresh Damodar Koli, president of Hanuman Koliwada Village Reforms Committee, spearheading the agitation
In all, 256 families, predominantly the fishing community, have been evacuated from Sheva village and they have been living in transit camps at Hanuman Koliwada since 1984.
For the uninitiated, JNPT, formerly NSPT, has been formed with the acquisition of lands at Nhava and Sheva villages.
Despite a series of meetings, including one with then Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari and present Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, the people have not got justice, Suresh, president of Hanuman Koliwada Gram Sudharak Samiti, said.
Then Raigad Collector proposed to allot 17 hectares at mangrove-dominated Bori Pakhadi in Uran, but the people themselves opposed it saying they were not in favour of destroying nature and violating the High Court order against the destruction of the sea plants, Mangesh Anant Koli, vice president of the Samiti, said.
“Unfortunately, the then collector insisted on us accepting the plot chopping the mangroves and we stuck to our point as it could lead to legal tangles in future which would further aggravate the people’s problems rather than solving any,” Suresh said.
“Now, it is up to the Collector and CIDCO to find a suitable 17-hectare plot which does not violate environmental conditions,” he said.
In a press statement, NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar appreciated the people of Hanuman Koliwada for their respect for Nature, particularly when the various project proponents are hell-bent on destroying mangroves and wetlands in Uran. Apart from resettling these families, the State government must also ensure that the benefits of Blue Economy and mangrove-based business benefits reach the people for overall socio-economic development of the backward region, Kumar said.
“We are still giving time till November 30 for the authorities to allow us the land and resettle us,” Suresh said, declaring that they would all head for the sea in hundreds of fishing boats on December 1.
The required area was recorded in the State Gazette on March 12, 1987, after detailed land surveys by the Revenue Department.
“It is sad that the authorities have been testing the people’s patience all these years,” lamented Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan. Fishing communities from across the state will support the Channel Bandh, he said.
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