Raigad landslide: Would a road have helped save more lives in Irsalwadi?

In the absence of a road in Irsalwadi, it was hard for rescuers to ferry bodies and survivors to the nearest vehicle. Pic/Satej Shinde; (inset) Khadai Dhangarwada, a few km from Irsalwadi, has no roads either. Pic/Santosh Ghate

In 2020, the then district collector directed local officials to survey and build roads to all tribal hamlets on hillocks in Raigad, according to Santosh Thakur, a social worker. Had they abided by this order, many more villagers could have been pulled out of debris alive in Irsalwadi, as rescue vehicles would have reached them in time, he said. Now, at least 23 hamlets are at the same risk as landslide-hit Irsalwadi, he added.

Thakur and other local tribal activists too have blamed the local district administrations (gram panchayats, zilla parishads, forest, tribal development, and revenue departments) for their failure to act on a direction from then district collector Nidhi Choudhary in 2020.

‘The letter was clear...'

Choudhary, in her letter dated September 15, 2020, had written to the block development officers (BDO's) of all 15 tehsils, including Khalapur, for construction of roads to all the hamlets under the Schedule Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.

Karambeli Thakurwadi village, located on a hill, has around 86 houses and a population of 647 people. Pics/Santosh Ghate

She had asked the BDOs to provide a list of tribal hamlets that don't have any road and of those passing through the forest land, and mentioned that permission for construction of roads be obtained.

"The letter clearly states that not a single hamlet should be left out and that the talathi [an employee of the land revenue department] should provide all the documents and work should be done immediately. But no one knows the status of the letter now. Had any action been taken on her letter, these hamlets would have been connected to roads and the emergency rescue team could have reached Irsalwadi within no time and many lives could have been saved," said Thakur, 46.

In the landslide-hit Irsalwadi, rescue teams are climbing daily to search for the villagers buried deep under debris and mud, as there is no connectivity for heavy machines, like an excavator, to go up 5 km.

The view from Karambeli Thakurwadi, which does not have any road connectivity

Activists have demanded a high-level probe against the officials, who ignored the collector's direction, for dereliction of duty. They also want the state government to now take over the task of providing proper connectivity to 685 tribal hamlets in Raigad district at the earliest.

Hamlets with no roads

"The entire district has 685 tribal hamlets and 125 of these don't have road connectivity. In Khalapur taluka, nearly 23 tribal hamlets, located within a radius of 12-15 km of Irsalwadi, are almost 300 feet to 400 feet above ground level. Any disaster, like a landslide, can strike them at any time," said Thakur, the founder-president of Gram Sanvardhan Samajik Sanstha - an NGO that works to uplift the living conditions of tribal communities in Raigad.

Among the 23 hamlets, Karambeli Thakurwadi and Khadai Dhangarwada are the most vulnerable. Nearly 647 people live in 86-odd huts in Karambeli Thakurwadi, while Khadai Dhangarwada has a population of around 200 people living in 35-plus houses. "These hamlets are nestled on top of hills and if there is any accident, it won't be possble to take rescue machinery and heavy equipment there," Thakur said.

Khadai Dhangarwada in Khalapur taluka

Santosh Ghate, who lives in Khadai Dhangarwada, said, "The only way to reach our village is by foot. We have no road connection, no potable drinking water, even though our hamlet has existed for the past 200 years. No government has helped us ever. Our fate will be the same as those in Irsalwadi if there's ever a disaster in our hamlet.

"Even now, in case of emergencies like snake bites or scorpion bites, by the time we bring the victims down to the main road, it's too late sometimes. We have not been able to save some," he added. "Villagers spent a sleepless night on July 19, when a landslide swallowed Irsalwadi. We feared a repeat of devastation during cyclone Nisarga (June 2020), when the tin sheets of villagers' houses were blown away," he said.

Ghate blames the "quarrying work at the foothills of these mountains" for an "increase in cases of landslides during monsoon, as the blasting weakens the entire foundation".

He said the villagers are willing to move if the government rehabilitates them.

Ghate treks up and down his village to earn a measly salary of R10,000 working as a driver in Khopoli. He has a family of five to look after, including his wife, three children and his aged mother. "Most villagers work as daily wagers after basic farming during monsoon," he said.

No one listens

According to Thakur, they have been holding regular protest rallies to various government-run offices, but they only get false assurances and promises.
"I had put in a request for road for these tribal hamlets and had met Guardian Minister Uday Samant in 2019. He assured to provide all assistance and agreed to have a meeting with the tribals. But that promised meeting was never held."

Collective system failure

Advocate Siddharth Ingle, who has been taking up tribals' issues and fighting for their rights, said, "It is collective system failure and it is high time that those responsible for not having adhered to the former collector's letter are held responsible for the Irsalwadi tragedy. The status of the proposals for roads in tribal areas of Raigad district is still unknown. This is happening right under the nose of the Tribal Welfare Ministry, which is supposed to work for the betterment of the tribal community."

"We have made numerous representations on behalf of these tribals, but no bureaucrat or minister has ever bothered to even hear them. Today, ministers and senior-most bureaucrats are lining up at Irsalwadi, where the tragedy could have been avoided, if only they heard the plea of these tribals earlier and fulfilled their basic need of road. Statements on rehabilitation of these tribals without a deadline or ground work are nothing but false promises."

‘Takes time'

"Many proposals were put forward by the then collector Nidhi Choudhary, especially those related to tribal welfare and landslide issues, and for connecting all the tribal hamlets in Raigad district to motorable roads. But, we must also understand that land procurement in forest lands take extensive permissions from the forest department and this is usually time-consuming," said a senior bureaucrat, who has worked in Raigad in the past, requesting anonymity.

Sept 15
Day in 2020 the then DC wrote the letter