Freedom struggle finds echo in Thane

Now, the Central Railway has usrped an additional 100 sq mt of land, which will displace 85 families of the 5,000 residents, to add another rail corridor from Turbhe in Navi Mumbai to Thane city.

8220;We had so many dreams for our country but they have all soured,8221; says a heart-broken Dr Keshav Koli 76, who braved lathis and worse during the Quit India movement.With the battle-ground now shifting to his home turf, Koli is more determined than ever to win this war. But the dharnas and morchas the residents have orgainsed to protest against the railway as well as memoranda forwarded to the Union Railway Ministry, local MP and collectorate, have made no difference.

When the first train chugged out of Thane station, linking the neighbouring district to Bombay in 1858, Chendni Koliwada did both cities proud. And though the rail link cleaved the village, located just outside the station, no one minded. Says local corproator Dilip Nakhwa, who chairs the Chendni Koliwada Sangharsh Samiti. 8220;Our forefathers felt this would help the area8217;s development,8221; adds Sulochana Thanekar 70, whose husband had participated in the country8217;s freedom struggle.

But the historic development also cost the village 1,000 of its original 3,500 sq mt, with 224 families being displaced. In 1936, two more sets of railway tracks were added, swallowing another 800 sq mt on the village8217;s easternside and another 150 families. Now, under the latest project, another 100 sq mt will be lost, reducing Chendni Koliwada to less than half its original size.

But if the villagers cannot snap their umbilical ties, they are also demanding a reasonable rehabilitation package. The state government has allotted the 85 project-affected families a nearby plot. But there8217;s a catch: the land, near the Thane creek, falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone notification and by definition such land cannot be developed. Moreover, residents point out, though the project commenced in 1995, eviction notices were served only on October 11, 1999. 8220;Obviously, the authorities knew it would be too late for us to protest by then,8221; says Koli.

Three years ago, the City and Industrial Development Corporation and the Central Railway jointly launched the Turbhe-Kalwa rail project in 1995, to cater to satellite townships along the way. The rail link was later extended from Kalwa to Thane, a nodal station. A bridge was then builtover the Thane creek to bring the railway line into the city limits. It is precisely to lay a new set of tracks that the railway has usurped 100 sq mt in the village.But the villagers say they will have none of that. To stop the new set of tracks from creeping over the bridge and devouring their village, they have suggested an alternative plan. They say as per the original project, the railway line can halt at Kalwa, the station adjacent to Thane. A road connecting Thane and Kalwa can substitut for the proposed rail link, Nakhwa explains. Since the new bridge has already been built, it can be used for vehicular traffic.

Surveying the path of destruction that the railway line will wreak, Keshav Koli looks decidely forlorn. Besides 85 ancient dwellings, three temples, a dargah, ancient wells and the lone freshwater pond in Thane E Hariyali Talao will soon be history.

Thane Collector Mukesh Khullar, the district8217;s land revenue authority, told Express Newsline: 8220;The acquisition process hasreached a stage which is extremely difficult to reverse. We can only assure the residents of the best possible rehabilitation package.8221; Chendi Koliwada8217;s only claim to fame, it seems, will be its Nemesis as well.