Govt can8217;t keep its word

MUMBAI, Sept 20: With the government deciding to transfer large chunks of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA land...

MUMBAI, Sept 20: With the government deciding to transfer large chunks of Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA land to the Shivshahi Punarvasan Prakalp SPP, the forest department suddenly finds it has no land to relocate 33,000 hutments from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SNGP. Though the forest department has given an undertaking to the Bombay High Court that the relocation would be completed by November 7, officials now say there is no way they can meet the deadline.

8220;More than the relocation, we are concerned about the high court8217;s reaction. We are in no position to rehabilitate them before November 7. Besides, we have told the high court that we will come with the rehabilitation plan before October 7,8221; a senior official told Express Newsline. At a state cabinet discussion on September 15, forest officials had brought the problem to the notice of the government. However, no serious cognisance was taken of their pleas.

The issue of encroachments on the SNGP land wasraised by the Bombay Environmental Action Group BEAG through a Public Interest Litigation PIL. The group had pointed out that out of the 25,000 acres under the park8217;s jurisdiction, at least 1,000 acres was encroached upon by over 80,000 hutments and more than 200 commercial establishments in blatant violation of the Forest Conservation Act, the Indian Forest Act and the Wild Life Protection Act. During the course of hearing, the high court constituted a high-level committee headed by D T Joseph, the then Chief Executive Officer of the Slum Redevelopment Authority, to examine the BEAG8217;s claim.

Joseph, despite strong objection from the Forest Department it is learnt, assured the high court on the government8217;s behalf that the slumdwellers would be rehabilitated before October 7, 1998. Forest Department pleas that any type of encroachment on the forest land was an offence and that government was not responsible for the relocation of such offenders fell on deaf ears.

Subsequently, the government gave awritten undertaking to the high court that all the 33,000 hutments registered before January 1, 1995 would be relocated and the remaining 32,000 would be demolished in a time-bound operation. On the basis of the undertaking, the high court on May 7, 1997 ordered that the eligible slumdwellers be relocated outside the SGNP boundaries before November 7, 1998 and that the others be removed before the same date.

Following the high court order, a series of meetings presided over by Chief Secretary P Subramanian were held and a plan to include the slumdwellers in the SSP was taken. The forest department officials, who felt that there was no need to provide the slumdwellers flats as their inclusion in SSP would entail and that provision 150 sq feet platforms would do, were once again overruled.

8220;The plan was then finalised. It was decided to reserve MHADA land at Dindoshi and Malwani and part of revenue land at Ghatkopar for the purpose.

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Accordingly, it was also decided to communicate to the HC that theaction plan for the slumdwellers relocation was final and that specific allotments would be made before the deadline,8221; said an official. But it may not be possible now.

The forest department has taken the stand that the SPPL should take the responsibility of relocating the slumdwellers. A Mantralaya official said the government would soon move the HC to seek more time to keep its word.

8220;It is true that we had assured the HCthat the hutment dwellers will be relocated before October 7, because of practical difficulties, it will not be possible to meet the deadline,8221; he added.