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This is an archive article published on January 12, 2010
Tribals oppose land acquisition for Force One
The states choice of land at Aarey Milk Colony in Goregoan for setting up base for Force One has not gone down well with the tribals residing in the area.
Written by Express News Service
Mumbai | January 12, 2010 12:02 AM IST
3 min read
3 min read
The states choice of land at Aarey Milk Colony in Goregoan for setting up base for Force One has not gone down well with the tribals residing in the area. The tribals belonging to Warli,Kathudi and Kokana communities have been living at Aarey Milk Colony since 1862. They have opposed the governments decision to allot their land to Force One. The state,a few days before the 26/11 anniversary last year,had alloted 98.6 acres of land at Aarey Colony to construct infrastructure facilities for the Force One personnel.
Land and tribal activist Ankush Bhoir claims that the land was allotted to the tribals under the Bombay Province law in 1862. The tribals,says Bhoir,have been cultivating paddy,vegetables,jackfruits,coconuts and mangoes in the area for years. Its their livelihood. Its not just the tribals but the ecosystem in the area will also be destroyed,if the state goes ahead with the plan, says another tribal activist Ashok Khandve.
The tribals have already stopped two attempts by the state government officials to take a review of the land. We have even stopped officials from the collectors office to come and review the land allotments, says Bhoir.
The Force One chief,Deputy Inspector General S Jaganathan,says that there is no dispute in the fact that the land belongs to Force One. The state has cleared the land and allotted it to us. When we realised that there are such issues,we requested the office of the collector to take a survey and verify claims of the tribals.
According to him,the development of Force One takes place in stages. At present,we are planning to occupy 40 to 50 acres of land and we will start work soon. We are not here to destroy any ecosystem or occupy someone s land. There are proper agencies to look into such issues. The tribals need not to get worried. They can put their side to the land authorities when the review takes place. It will take months to complete the first phase. The collectors office is reviewing the situation. Tribals can approach the state government to get the issue sorted out. The Force One training is taking shape at Kalina.
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