Thane Creek Bridge-III | HC-appointed TISS report pegs Rs 141 crore compensation for affected fishing families

Under the banner of the Mariyayi Machhimaar Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit, 944 families — with around 3,345 residents — across Vashigaon, Ghansoli, Juhugaon, Kopar Khairane and Dive were the claimants.
Construction on the bridge ended in 2025, with the fishermen having received only Rs 1 lakh as interim compensation. In May 2025, the High Court appointed TISS to quantify the damage of TCB-III on the fishermen and recommend compensation. Completed in November, the report is now being shared with various stakeholders.

Building on compensation formulas used for the Coastal Road and MTHL projects, the TISS report divides the package into two parts: one component to account for the loss in livelihoods during construction from 2021 to 2025, and a second as livelihood support for the next six years to help fishermen adapt to losses persisting in the future.

For direct loss compensation, recommendations were calculated based on the mode of fishing.

Fishermen who practiced handpicking, picking shellfish from shallow waters and earning the least, will be entitled to Rs 7.07 lakh, while those practising Vana (a traditional method using nets supported by bamboo structures) will get around Rs 11.38 lakh. In the order of their earnings, those fishing with gill nets will be entitled to Rs 15.03 lakh. Finally, those fishing with a traditional method called Dol net fishing— using large, fixed nets set in shallow waters to trap fish with the tides — the amount is Rs 15.61 lakh.

Recognising that livelihood losses will continue for years in the future (see adjacent story), the report recommends that a security component continue to be paid to certain categories of fishermen for the next six years, till 2030-31. “We assume that income from fishing in Thane Creek will continue to decline at this 17% annual rate,” said the report, noting that fishermen handpicking and using gill stand to lose the most and will face incomes under the minimum living wage set at Rs 2.4 lakh. Hence, this second amount does not apply for fishermen fishing with Dol nets and practicing Vana finishing.

An amount of Rs 6.94 lakh is recommended to be disbursed to handpicking fishermen till 2031, while Rs 1.72 lakh is recommended for gill net fishermen for three years ending in 2031.

The fishermen, however, called this amount a “band aid”.

“The question is of our livelihoods and our future,” said Harish Sutar, 62, a fisherman from Vashigaon and president of the Mariyayi Machhimaar Sahakari Sanstha Maryadit. “Rs 15 lakh may tide us for a while, but what after?” he asked. Sutar noted that fish catch had dwindled by over 80% in the creek, leaving the fishermen lost in their own waters.

“When I was a boy of 7, I first saw the Sion-Panvel Highway being built in front of my eyes. At that time, it felt like the tidings of a good omen, connecting us to Mumbai when we could only go by boat. But now the bridges have made us poor; it has disrupted the tidal flow into the creek, and brought with it silt and mud. Sewage and garbage pollution into the creek has also added to the problem,” he said. “We have survived six years of construction waiting for a response from the Bombay High Court. For those of us who are old, what option for livelihood remains?”

The TISS report also suggests other non-monetary compensation, from building fishing-related infrastructure in the villages, an insurance scheme, skill development centres to equip fishermen and their children for non-fishing opportunities. To restore the ecology of the creek, it suggests sludge removal, regulation of waste and sewage disposal away from the creek, and the promotion of sustainable fishing practices.

Anilkumar Gaikwad, managing director of MSRDC, did not respond to questions.