Ambernath villagers demand pucca houses; reject metal cabins the government has built for them 500 metres outside their hamlet, Karavle
The metal-sheet houses set up by the government
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to start the land acquisition process for the dumping ground they plan to set up across a 100-acre plot near Karavle village in Ambernath. Reason: Villagers refuse to leave their homes and part with their land till the government gives them permanent houses instead of the temporary metal-sheet tents that they have been asked to shift to.
In November, last year the Bombay High Court had asked the state government to hand over 38.85 hectares of land in the area to BMC to start the project. It had said that 12.4 hectares should be given within the next three months, which is by January 31, and the remaining 26.71 hectares within the next year. However, not much of this process has moved since.
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According to the HC order, the government has set up temporary houses made of metal sheets, where 39 families have been asked to shift as part of the project's first phase. However, the villagers refused to do so and instead requested the government to give them proper compensation and houses.
Speaking to mid-day, one of the villagers Ramdas Mhatre said, "I don't know what the government is doing. They want us to shift from the houses where we have been living for the past 25 to 30 years, and in return they are giving us temporary houses made of metal sheets. Our houses are worth more than R30 lakh now, and they want us to live in small metal houses. They haven't even told us when we would get proper houses."
Another villager said, "If they need our land for the garbage dumping ground then they should give us proper houses within BMC's jurisdiction." When contacted, Tehsildar Jairaj Deshmukh said, "We have set up temporary houses for the villagers but they are not ready to shift. Ideally they should follow the HC order."
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