Locals allege poor Adivasis are being enticed into parting with land; say huts being built on these plots and sold to non-tribals; In the tribal hamlet of Vanichapada, a 15x15-foot illegal under-construction house was razed before it could be completed following direct orders from the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aarey Milk Colony
(From left) The 15x15-foot illegal house at Vanichapada in Aarey colony last week; security staff of Aarey CEO’s office disassemble the structure on Sunday. PICS/By Special Arrangement
Even as cattle farm owners and other residents struggle for months or sometimes years to secure basic permissions to repair their dilapidated structures, an unchecked surge of illegal hutments is reshaping parts of Aarey Milk Colony’s tribal hamlets. Backed, locals allege, by a well-connected slum mafia, these constructions rise swiftly and brazenly.
In the tribal hamlet of Vanichapada, a 15x15-foot illegal under-construction house was razed before it could be completed following direct orders from the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aarey Milk Colony. Sources told mid-day that such houses are allegedly being “sold” for a staggering Rs 7-10 lakh each, raising serious questions about the nexus enabling this alleged land grab.
The building at Vanichapada, which was made of bricks and concrete, was disassembled after an alert resident brought the matter to the notice of the authorities concerned, prompting the security department of the Aarey CEO’s office to act. Vijay Wagh, the security officer from the Aarey CEO’s office, said, “We demolished an illegal structure at Vanichapada. No permission had been given for construction or repairs of any house, and so the demolition was carried out.”
The alleged racket
A tribal from Aarey Milk Colony, who did not wish to be named, alleged that there was a land mafia involved in the construction of illegal hutments at tribal hamlets in Aarey. “People involved in the illegal construction of houses in the tribal hamlet approach poor Adivasis and offer them R2 to 4 lakh to give away land adjoining their homes where 20x30-feet huts are constructed and sold off for Rs 5 to Rs 10 lakh.
The under-construction 15x15-foot illegal house at Vanichapada in Aarey Milk Colony; (right) Staffers of the security department of the Aarey CEO’s disassemble the structure on Sunday. Pics/By Special Arrangement
All this is happening under the nose of the Aarey CEO’s office. In fact, a couple of people from the office act as middlemen and contractors and make sure that building material is brought to the sites of illegal constructions without any hassle.” There are a total of 27 tribal hamlets in Aarey Milk Colony where members of the Warli, Katkari, Mahadev Koli, and Malhar Koli tribes reside. A tribal elder told this newspaper that over the years, the non-tribal population in some padas has increased drastically.
“In some tribal hamlets, some money-minded individuals have promoted illegal hutments, which they have sold to non-tribals at relatively throwaway prices. These encroachments are constructed with the blessings of some staff members working in the Aarey CEO’s office. Meanwhile, the houses of many tribals are dilapidated, but whenever they go to the Aarey CEO office, officials don’t give permission to carry out repairs, claiming that permissions must first be obtained from the eco-sensitive zone monitoring committee [since the colony falls under the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park], but the same office is deliberately turning a blind eye to illegal hutments mushrooming in tribal hamlets and other places in Aarey,” said the elder.
Environmentalists speak
Environmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti said, “The slum mafia is very active and successful in Aarey and SGNP. The forests are being slowly eaten away; the sanctity of protected areas is being lost. Local politicians use their clout and stall action against illegal constructions while actively engaging to provide amenities and legal documents to the encroachers. The Aarey administration is ill-equipped to withstand pressure from local politicians. The result is plain for all to see. This is a calculated creation of a vote bank and the long-term vision of profiting from SRA schemes in the future. Even court orders have not deterred this mafia.”
Sanjiv Valsan, director, Waghoba Habitat Foundation, said, “Illegal encroachment has been happening in Aarey since the 1960s in collusion with dairy authorities, and as Aarey is shrinking, the problem is becoming more and more visible today. In many cases, it is an open secret in Aarey that they have an unofficial ‘rate card’ for turning a blind eye to illegal constructions. Some glaring examples can be found at Unit 22, where an illegal structure is being built by the local land mafia behind the gym on the main road opposite the Metro shed. Debris dumping to facilitate encroachment is also going on and reported from time to time, despite there being cameras and security checks at each of the so-called ‘check nakas’ at Goregaon, Marol, and Powai. If there is security and surveillance, how do trucks enter with all this material?”
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