Fishermen’s fury over 40-year neglect sparks election boycott and JNPT blockade

Enough is enough Politicians and local authorities make promises win elections and forget us Itrsquos time for a rethinkrdquo say fishermen displaced by the JNPT Phase 2 project Frustrated after 40 years without rehabilitation or compensation families from Sheva Koliwada have vowed to boycott the November 20 Assembly elections and escalate their protest with a ldquoChannel Bandhrdquo to block JNPTrsquos navigation channel on Constitution Day November 26 if demands remain unmetldquoWe gave up our ancestral land for the port in 1982 expecting jobs and alternate land as promised Decades later wersquore still waitingrdquo said Parmanand Koli Secretary of the Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union Of the 256 affected families only 42 received jobs and 105 were allotted land parcels which the community rejects as inadequateVillagers say landfilling and reclamation work is underway at JNPT PicsSayyed Sameer AbediProtest expandsHanuman Koliwadarsquos 1250 eligible voters have unanimously decided to abstain ldquoOur village has 450 families and wersquore united in boycotting this election just like we did in Mayrsquos Lok Sabha pollsrdquo Koli said warning that 15 nearby koliwadas with over 7000 residents could join the boycottShocking revelationsFishermen also allege irregularities including an illegal Gram Panchayat formed with vested interests ldquoWe recently discovered our village is officially a transit camp Even the State Election Commission says transit camps cannot host polling boothsrdquo Koli addedThe fishermen accuse authorities of years of deception ldquoWe believed their promises but the next generation has exposed their lies through RTI inquiries We feel abandonedrdquo Koli saidWith no resolution in sight the fisherfolk demand urgent action ldquoWe will not vote or stop protesting until we get justicerdquo Koli warned The proposed land parcel assured by the district administration to be handed over to the Sheva KoliwadaChannel bandh agitationFishermen have warned authorities to finalise plots and ownership documents for 256 families near JNPT township by November 25 ldquoJNPT promised to hand over plots by November 15 but failedrdquo said Ramesh Koli General Secretary of the Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers UnionKoli added ldquoThe Deputy Collector claims paperwork will be done by November 25 If not wersquoll proceed with the Channel bandh on November 26 and boycott the November 20 electionsrdquoThe protest involves fishing boats blocking ships from entering JNPA ldquoWe did this in 2021 but called it off after false assurances This time we wonrsquot back downrdquo said KoliForced evictionsldquoAt the time of the 198283 land acquisition we were told the port project was for national progress and asked to cooperaterdquo said 62yearold Jagdish Shivekar a displaced villager ldquoSheva Koliwada had 737 hectares and most of us were fishermen We were promised monetary compensation jobs for one family member and proper rehabilitation under the Maharashtra Resettlement Act 1976 but those promises remain unfulfilledrdquoForced into homelessnessldquoThey told us to dismantle our own homes and move to Boripakhadi Uran where a 17hectare plot was to be allottedrdquo said 70yearold Manohar Koli ldquoIt was the rainy season and with our homes demolished 256 families lived in makeshift tents for over 18 months losing belongings and enduring hardshiprdquoldquoWe even had to construct our own houses on the new plot now called Hanuman Koliwada using our savingsrdquo added Paramanand another affected villager ldquoThe elders trusted the governmentrsquos word but decades later wersquore still waiting for justicerdquolsquoWe were fooledrsquoldquoOf the 17 hectares allotted only 091 hectares were given for housing Houses were crammed with no space for courtyards or back doors and the plot distribution order came after constructionrdquo said Paramanand who uncovered these facts through RTIAdding to their shock he said ldquoWe found out 15 hectares of the land were handed over to the Forest Department without our knowledge We only discovered this through RTI recordsrdquoTermite plightIn 1996 termite infestations devastated creekside houses ldquoDoors and roofs collapsed and some homes were destroyed entirelyrdquo said Manohar Koli ldquoWhile 33 houses were severely damaged pest control failed Families moved to rented homes temporarily but JNPT stopped paying rent forcing them back into termiteridden housesrdquoSangeeta Koli 47 shared her ordeal ldquoWe replaced wooden roofs and doors with steel at our own expense My husband and I now live under the open sky as our damaged house is uninhabitable while our children stay elsewhererdquoPoor ventilation added to the misery ldquoI keep lights and fans on even during the day running up bills over 2000 which I canrsquot affordrdquo said 70yearold Parvathi KoliCramped houses left families struggling ldquoWe canrsquot eat meals together or host guests During functions lanes are impassablerdquo said handicapped villager Jaganath KolildquoIn Sheva Koliwada we had spacious homes with courtyards and natural light Here wersquore suffocatingrdquoGarbage issuesHouses in Hanuman Koliwada are built over open gutters with residents washing utensils and clothes in the open ldquoEver since we found out that the koliwada is a transit camp the Panchayat doesnrsquot clear waste from our backyard anymore The area is filthy a mosquito breeding ground and home to snakes due to the marshy creekrdquo said Parvathi KoliDespite an assurance from JNPA on August 13 to handle civic issues nothing has been done ldquoThey promised to clear garbage and provide infrastructure but havenrsquot even removed the wasterdquo said ParamanandVillagers also highlighted the dire state of public toilets near the creek which lack electricity and septic systems with waste flowing directly into the creek ldquoMany have fallen sick and the nearest hospital is far away in Nerul or Vashirdquo the villagers saidDemands for relocationPosttermite infestation residents demanded relocation Numerous meetings since 2021 resulted in identifying a 1016hectare site near JNPA Township ldquoThe district collector agreed that JNPA must rehabilitate 256 families with proper infrastructure but no action has been takenrdquo said the villagersConcerns raisedldquoWe were never rehabilitated from Sheva Koliwadardquo said Ramesh Koli ldquoThe claim that Hanuman Koliwada is our second rehabilitation is false Neither the 17 hectares of our original land nor the 2 acres allotted for housing was handed over This misinformation continues to mislead the central governmentrdquoParmanand Koli added ldquoA former collector tried to correct the record by preparing a factual report for the Centre but both he and his deputy were transferred before the report could be finalisedrdquoVillagers noted that JNPT returned acquired land to some other villages but Sheva Koliwada remains untouched even after 40 years ldquoOur demand to return and rehabilitate us in our original village has been ignored The TISS 2013 study highlighted that apart from jobs healthcare and basic amenities for affected families were neglectedrdquo said Parmanand He also criticized JNPT for leasing surplus land to private companies for profit while failing to address villagers concernsDefence safety concernsHanuman Koliwada is within a defence buffer zone near INS Karanja and INS Tunir where construction is restrictedldquoThe Bombay High Court in 2011 flagged this as a sensitive area The defence now labels us as encroachers but how did the district administration allow us to settle in a prohibited zone in the first placerdquo questioned ParmanandThe other sideThe JNPA proposed a second rehabilitation for Hanuman Koliwada on 1016 hectares near JNPA Township at an estimated cost of R4186 crore While R569 crore has been paid to the Raigad collector R3617 crore is pending central approval ldquoThe cost of housing is not included in this amountrdquo noted an RTIrevealed letter from JNPA to the Ministry of Ports Shipping and Waterways dated April 24 2023Deputy collector saysDeputy Collector Rehabilitation Bharat Waghmare clarified ldquoThe fisherfolk of Hanuman Koliwada have never been rehabilitated before They continue to live in a transit camp The proposed 1016hectare site near JNPA Township is marked and a tender for an R3 crore road was prepared but delayed due to the Election Code of Conduct We hope to secure the Centrersquos approval by monthendrdquoPolice ensure law and orderAssistant Commissioner of Police Port Division Vishal Nehul confirmed meetings with villagers to mediate the situation ldquoProhibitory orders are in place and additional police forces have been deployed We wonrsquot allow channel blockades as wersquove dealt with similar protests in 2021 However we hope their demands will be addressed ensuring law and orderrdquo1982Year land acquisition for JNPT port phase was done