MUMBAI: Local residents opposed a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme in Juhu Koliwada, pointing out that it is demarcated as Koliwada and a slum scheme cannot be implemented there. Local BJP MLA Ameet Satam has written to Mumbai Suburban Collector Rajendra Kshirsagar and the local police, demanding action against the builder and his associates for trying to turn the Koliwada into a slum scheme.
Koliwadas, or fishing villages, are located on prime sea-facing lands across Mumbai. However, the state govt demarcates the boundaries of all Koliwadas in the city, and once demarcated, they can’t be redeveloped as slums.
“In Andheri (West) assembly constituency, the demarcation of Juhu Koliwada on the plot has been completed. The govt is drafting separate Special Development Control Rules (DCR) for the Gaonthans and Koliwadas. However, a developer is misleading and threatening the local residents to propose the SRA scheme,” Satam said in his letter to Kshirsagar.
Satam said that local residents are against the SRA scheme on the plot. “The SRA scheme cannot be implemented in Koliwadas because they have been demarcated. The local residents want to go for self-development. Therefore, approval for any SRA scheme should not be granted on this plot,” added Satam. “I am standing with locals and will ensure that no injustice is meted out to them.”
According to local historians, most Koliwadas, like the one in Juhu, are historic fishing villages which nest at the edge of the seafront, boasting a history that goes back centuries. Many Koliwadas were part of the seven islands that formed Mumbai and are home to its original settlers: the Kolis, Agris, and Bhandaris.
Officials said that SRA projects are underway in several Koliwadas, including Sewri, Sion, Worli, and Deonar, among others, and it has been opposed by the Koli community. In 2017, officials had pitched for Special DCR to soon pave the way for the redevelopment of Gaothans and Koliwadas across the city.
Satam also said that local residents have complained to him about the misleading and threatening actions by the developer. “A fake biometric survey has been conducted in Juhu Koliwada. Locals have informed me that some people were forcefully made to sign undertakings. This has created an atmosphere of fear in the minds of people,” Satam said.
Satam recently held a meeting with locals to understand their issues and then demanded an FIR against those involved in it. “During my meeting with residents, it has come to my knowledge that a lot of irregularities have been taking place in the area. I request to record the statements of the locals and register an FIR against the developer and his associates for threatening and cheating the locals,” demanded Satam.
