Mumbai: The Raigad district collector informed the state that no govt land is available for rehabilitation purposes. The Palghar district collector conveyed details of several parcels of land in the district but also informed that all those lands are not suitable for rehabilitation as they are either affected by CRZ regulations or are located on steep hill slopes. The collectors of Mumbai city and suburbs reported that land of 90 acres or more in one contiguous patch is not available in their districts.
Only the Thane collector identified 10 parcels of land between 85.57 hectares and 7.15 hectares in area in the district to rehabilitate slum-dwellers of SGNP. This was told to Bombay high court via an affidavit filed by Anita Patil, conservator and director, SGNP.
The land parcels identified by Thane collector include three in Thane (85.57 ha, 11.5 ha, 39 ha), one each in Bhiwandi (21 ha), Ambernath (9 ha), Shahpur (48.6 ha), and two in Kalyan (7 and 19 ha) and Murbad (40.3 and 10.9 ha).
Bombay high court is hearing a PIL filed by Conservation Action Trust on relocation of slum-dwellers and restoration of forest land of SGNP. The govt has announced that it would rehabilitate slum dwellers up to 2011.
Patil, in her affidavit, said that 312 commercial structures on forest land in SGNP were identified and notices issued to occupants to remove the structures. She stated that 15 structures were razed, the rest would be by May 31.
“Encroachers between 1.1.1995 and 1.1.2011 are to be satisfactorily identified. The task of identifying encroachers who qualify for rehabilitation too has been entrusted to an agency empanelled with the govt… with instructions to commence the work immediately. That exercise is to be completed before May 31, 2025,” states the affidavit.
