MID-DAY IMPACT: Ancestors’ demand for road to finally be a reality in our lifetime: Residents in Maharashtra's Raigad hamlets

Satyajit Bade and Santosh Thakur

THE century-old tribal hamlets of Karambali Thakurwadi and Kadai Dhangarwada in Raigad district will finally get a road to connect them to the world outside.

Kharivali Gram Panchayat, under which Karambali Thakurwadi falls, has received the much-needed NOC from a Mumbai-based landowner Indira Manek Shah, widow of Manek Shah, to use a portion of her private land for the road's construction.

Approximately 500 meters (around 1500 to 1600 sq feet) private land was coming in the way of the road construction for the tribal hamlets, out of the 44 acres of land owned by late Manek Lakshmidas Shah (86), who was into land dealing business. He passed away on April 3, 2023.

The Versova based landowner has also made a request to the local administration to give the road the name of her late husband Manek Shah, in a separate letter addressed to the Gram Panchayat on August 8, 2024.

Sunday MiDDAY had written two detailed stories (May 19, 2024 titled ‘Aakhri Rasta' and another on July 28, 2024 titled ‘ No concrete plans for invisible road') highlighting the plights of the tribals living in these two hamlets and especially in monsoon, they have to face many challenges. -

Villagers are happy

Santosh Ghate of Kadai Dhangarwada said, "Our ancestors' demand of having road connectivity (hamlets are over a century old), will become a reality soon. We are thankful to Indira Shah, for having given her consent and NOC for us. Most of the elderly members in our village are illiterate and hence they do not understand the importance of the paperwork. I am confident that the forest and other regulatory permissions would be possible now, as the Gram Panchayat, will be officially making a submission to the Range Forest Official, Khalapur seeking Forest NOC. We hope that the work will begin before the election code of conduct is enforced."

Santosh added, "Today, the road is only on the district administration map, but soon it will become a reality at the ground level. And moreover, even the locals will agree to the request of Indira Shah to name the road after her late husband, villagers from both Karambali and Kadai, will contribute money to make a name board for the road, if the district administration cannot spend money on the same."

Thank you MiDDAY

Santosh Thakur, President Gram Sanvardhan Samajik Sanstha said, "It is because of the two sustained follow up stories by MiDDAY that the NOC, which was issued by the land owner Indira Shah, dated April 30, 2024 (see pic) (as reported in MiDDAY story dated July 28), addressed to the local Gram Panchayat, which was otherwise kept under wrap, for unknown reasons, suddenly resurfaced and also a fresh letter from the landowner on August 8, 2024 requesting to name the road after her late husband, was received."

"We are looking forward to the remaining sanctions and are confident that the work on road connectivity for the two hamlets would start once the monsoon ends. The application file from the local Gram Panchayat, will move to the concerned Block Development Office, who will forward the same to Range Forest Office in Khalapur for NOC, as per the procedure. Had it not been the sustained follow up, by MiDDay, the demand of local tribals for road,would have remained pending for another few years," said Thakur.

Forest official speak

Rajendra Pawar, Range Forest Officer, Khalapur, said, "I haven't received the application from the Gram Panchayat so far. Once the application is received, as per the norms, I will forward the application to our Deputy Conservator of Forest, Alibaug, for approval and if everything is fine, we will issue the required forest department NOC."

Other side

Welcome gesture: will expedite road work, Addn CEO, ZP

Satyajit Bade, Additional CEO, Zilla Parishad, Raigad district, "It is a yeoman work done by the land owner (Ms. Indira Manek Shah, widow of Manek Shah) for having agreed to part of their portion of privately owned land for road construction for tribal welfare. She has already issued the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the local Gram Panchayat, and it is a highly commendable and noble act. At present the entire Raigad district has around 38 to 39 hamlets which do not have road connectivity, and proposals are pending either due to some portion of land falling under private land ownership or under Forest department. I would rather appeal to other private landowners, to come forward and follow the footstep of Indira Shah, so that the other hamlets too can get road connectivity, someday, in the near future. And only once road connectivity is available, other government infrastructural schemes can be implemented in such villages."

When asked if, the road work for Karambali Thakurwadi and Kadai Dhangarwada can be started before the Model Code of Conduct, Bade replied in affirmative stating, "A major hurdle (private land owner NOC) is cleared and once we get Forest NOC and the complete file once come to us, we will direct the Public Work Department of Zilla Parishad, can immediately, float the tenders and the work can be started, accordingly, soon after."

When asked if the ZP has required funds for the road construction for the two hamlets, Bade, replied in affirmative, stating, "Approximate cost estimation for a road construction for hamlets on higher altitudes works out to over Rs 20 lakhs, also the entire stretch of road work cannot be done in one go, a minimum of two years would be required. Initially, the road contractor would carry out earth levelling of the entire stretch, and would use pebble and sand for the same. It is only the second year that asphalt would be used to level the entire stretch, to make the road motorable. And if the same is to be done in concrete, the amount goes up five fold and it requires special mention by local elected representatives and higher authorities' sanction."