Maha govt plans to relocate residents of 3 Aarey hamlets, tribals say won't vacate our land

The tribals will be organising a protest today

Even as the Maharashtra government plans to shift residents of three tribal hamlets from land allocated to the Force One Training Centre at Aarey Milk Colony, Goregaon, the tribals have stated that they will not vacate their houses there. As per government plans, tribals from three padas - Chafa 1, Chafa 2 and Keltipada - will be given alternative accommodation on five acres of land at Aarey Milk Colony. Chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray recently approved the plan to shift the tribals.

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) will be constructing houses for the tribal residents while non-tribal project-affected people (PAP) will be given tenements constructed by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) outside Aarey Colony.

The government had handed over the 98.6-acre land to Force One after the 26/11 terror attack, to form an elite counter terrorism force, and for setting up infrastructure for training purposes. As per a survey conducted by the government in 2016, there are a total of 418 households in the three padas, including 315 tribal homes, 92 non-tribal families, seven temples and four closed rooms.

The tribals said they will also be meeting forest department officials who have started a survey at Aarey

Speaking to mid-day, tribal leader Prakash Bhoir from Keltipada said, "We want to make it very clear that the majority of the tribals from Chafachapada, Damupada and Keltipada are against shifting. We also want to make it clear that Ashok Khandve, Prakash Jadhav and former corporator Jitendra Walvi who, we have been told, had gone for a meeting with the CM, are not our representatives."

On the portion of land that will be taken over, some tribals grow vegetables like drumstick, lady fingers and also cultivate rice. Bhoir said, "Tribals from the three padas cultivate on a total of 40 acres of land." He told mid-day that on Monday they are planning a protest on Monday morning. They will also meet forest department officials who have started survey in Aarey Milk Colony to ask about the land.

"We want this area and the forest to be protected but at the same time we want the government to take all the tribals in confidence. On Monday, we are going to meet the team of forest department officials and ask them if we would be allowed to farm on our land once the area is declared as forest. There are certain questions in our mind and we expect the officials to answer the same," added Bhoir.

418
No. of households in three padas in Aarey