We are not encroachers: Mumbai’s tribal community rejects BMC’s SGNP Zonal Master Plan

Tribals attend the event on Wednesday. PICS/Sarthak Mehta

Refusing to sign on the BMC's Zonal Master Plan (ZMP) for the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), tribals on Wednesday said they have been the original inhabitants of the place and are now labelled as encroachers. Over 2400 tribals from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) assembled at Chinchpada, SGNP, on Wednesday, in a united stand against the ZMP and to demand basic civic facilities.

Tribal hamlets inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park

The Adivasi Maha Gram Sabha, organised by the Adivasi Ekta Parishad, also called for the immediate implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) to protect their rights. Tribal residents of SGNP shared with Sunday mid-day that the ZMP violates their rights by labelling them as encroachers. And forest officials don't allow them to lead a normal life, "despite us being the inhabitants of the forest even before the national park was established," said a resident.

"We are forced to use makeshift or open toilets, and stay in leaking, unsafe homes without electricity, just because the authorities don't allow us to construct anything on our own land. They want us to relocate instead, which is not possible for tribals as the forest is an integral part of our lives," added a group of tribal women.

Key demands made:

The Adivasi Ekta Parishad's primary grievance lies with the ZMP approved for the Environmentally Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of SGNP. Claiming the plan was "approved with errors", the council is demanding its immediate cancellation.

Other demands:

Recognition of ancestral claims: Immediate implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, to recognise land, agricultural, and collective forest rights of tribal communities

Moratorium on forest work: No forest work - including the construction of watchtowers and beat posts, or protective concrete walls - shall be conducted by the forest department or municipal corporations without a resolution from the gram sabha.

Protection from eviction: To stop all efforts to evict or "rehabilitate" tribal residents from the SGNP area, and assert that there is no dispute regarding the boundaries of the areas claimed as collective forest rights

Infrastructure and documentation: Provision of essential services, including ration cards, Aadhar cards, clean drinking water, electricity, health, education, and employment for tribal settlements within the SGNP and surrounding municipal corporation areas.

Educational support: The establishment of Ashram schools and junior colleges by the Maharashtra Government, specifically for tribal children in the villages of the Integrated Tribal Development Project, Borivali.

Voices

‘Against tribal interests'
Dr Sunil Parhad, tribal leader

Over 200 tribal hamlets were listed alongside other encroachers. We are not encroachers! Tribals have been living here for thousands of years. They [authorities] are trying to make the park human-free, but what about tribal land rights?

‘No water, electricity'
Gauri Magan Khaarvi, Chinchpada resident

We don't have electricity or water connections. Forest officials have been trying to evict us for decades, but we have lived here for many generations before the national park was established, and we don't want to relocate.

Prakash Bhoir, tribal leader:

‘Tribals have assembled here today from SGNP, Aarey, Yeoor, and Thane areas. We had given an objection letter to BMC stating our complaints with the Zonal Master plan. Government authorities could have come down here o to speak with us and explain the 300-word English document. No positive action was taken regarding our concerns. That's why we have assembled here today to show our unity and strength. We had written to the BMC, collector, forest department, and tribal minister to attend the maha gram sabha today and explain to us their plan. But they didn't come.'

Ramila Gadag, Chinchpada resident:

‘The government should provide all public facilities at our centuries-old tribal settlements. They should understand that tribal people cannot move out of the forest… the forest is a part of our lives. We won't be able to live outside the forest.

Sunil Shankar Varthe, Jitonichapada resident:

‘We have a 7/12 document from British times (1933), and the current authorities still fail to recognise our Jitonichapada. The electricity distribution box is near us, but we still can't get a power connection. We have been awaiting permission from the authorities for years now.'

Pramila Bhoir, Aarey resident:

‘My village has an electricity connection, but a few other villages like Jitonichapada and Chinchpada still suffer without one. For any kind of construction work, we have to ask for the forest department's permission and NOCs, which they often don't provide, citing our probable relocation despite us not wanting to relocate. We have lived in the forest for generations now… we can't shift from here.'