Automated Translation:
Will CM Fadnavis take concrete steps for the fishermen displaced due to climate change?

To my Koli brothers,

There should have been an all-inclusive sustainable development plan to improve the living standards of our Koli brothers, the first and original inhabitants of Mumbai. But this topic is discussed very little, so today I am, first of all, grateful to the Editor of Sagar Shakti, Mr. Rajhans Tapke for giving me the opportunity to write about this. What should be a different strategy for developing Koliwadas and why should a different strategy exist for this in the first place? For that we have to look at the history of the last 25 years.

When I worked in social service, I received a letter in 1990 from the Department of Housing and Special Assistance, Government of Maharashtra (dated February 3, 1988) saying that the land requested by the Koli community in Juhu Morgaon for building their houses could not be given as it was within 500 meters, thereby dashing the community’s housing dreams to the ground. From the day the aforementioned letter came into my hands, I made up my mind that I would bring justice to the Koli community, and I began social service work to that end. I made the authorities reintroduce the assessment bill which was introduced in 1961 and conducted a lot of written correspondence at the government level. Even after the CRZ (Coastal Control Regulations) came into existence in 1991, many constructions continued to be built along the coast of Mumbai in blatant violation of the said regulations.

Between the years 1992-1996-2000, many rich people made their homes in Juhu by filling the cultivable land along the coast. These were blatant violations of the CRZ Coastal Control Regulations, but without strictly following the guidelines to be adopted while drawing up the highest tide line while preparing the Coastal Management Plan approved in 1996. Huge buildings were erected, illegally encroaching on the bays where fishermen were fishing, endangering the Koli community. These included prominently the Rajiv Gandhi Engineering College, buildings of Chartered Officers, buildings of the then-High Court Judges, mainly owned by relatives of the former Chief Minister. How fair is it to prohibit the fishermen, who are the sons of the soil, from building their own houses; but allowing elites of the society —whose responsibility is to make and uphold laws — build their houses by breaking the laws. Is this not unjust behaviour?

The Koli community of Juhu complained that mangrove trees were being felled but no action was taken. However, by filing a bogus complaint, the houses of the hardworking Koli community in Juhu Koliwada were destroyed in 2002.

The houses of 165 people of the Koli community in Juhu Morgaon were demolished mercilessly. From 2002 and 17th Jan 2005 onwards, The Koli community had presented their problems but before the MRA land grabbing scheme, everyone conceded defeat and turned a blind eye. As soon as they realised what was happening, the fishermen took objection to the impending amendments that were to be made in the CRZ Coastal Control Regulations from the Central Environment Department.

A motion of recommendation was made about how to protect the fishermen's colony from builders and the land mafia, and the then Environment Minister Shri Jairam Ramesh also accepted it and Mumbai was given a special status. He had clearly suggested that the development should be done only through government funds, and not with help from builders. This was because a land mafioso masquerading as a slum owner under the 'Slum Redevelopment Plan', had got the society registered and was looking to encroach upon the land by taking and passing decisions as per his personal whims and fancies. Then to save the Koliwadas, he assured the fishermen that it would fall in CRZ 3 and had instructed the state government to issue circulars to bring the Koliwadas under the CRZ plan.

No builder's plan would be implemented in Koliwadas, but he assured the Koli community that the funds for development of the people will be approved from the government funds.But it is understood that some of the builders for their own vested interests want to get the rules changed with the help of a handful of people from the community, which will threaten the existence of Koliwada in Mumbai.

The Koli community in Koliwada in Mumbai needs facilities for its livelihood and fishing business. If these facilities cannot be made available even after 65 years of the country’s independence, the ‘respected’ local representatives of Mumbai have time to think about it and act upon it. I read in a newspaper current paper "Issues about Mumbai are being raised in the Legislative Assembly by representatives from outside Mumbai”. Why exactly is this happening? Does this not merit serious pondering?

The creeks where fishermen have been fishing for generations have been taken away by the government for various development works without any compensation. Their nets were given to foreign boats, the sewage and effluents was released into their creeks, and the seawater was also left polluted with waste from canals and discarded plastic. How just and appropriate is it for the Pollution Control Board to only collect funds but not give any kind of compensation to the fishermen who have to suffer the ill-effects of all this?

Adding to that is climate change, a consequence that is not well understood by the community. The Koli community that has their homes along the shore, is the first to be put through the grinder because of this. Lack of fish is also a major cause of climate change, that is why the National Fish Worker Forum (NFF) has demanded that fishermen be declared refugees of climate change and this is holding true in the current situation.

Many of the problems mentioned above have caused some people in the Koli community to rent their homes to other communities as tenants by partitioning their houses or constructing open spaces due to the loss of their livelihoods, never thinking that the tenants would become a majority and their rights would be destroyed due to a scheme like SRA. Today the mutual land mafias excluded the existing Koliwada from the development plan of the Municipal Corporation in Juhu Morgaon and put the name “Provincial Housing and Properties Limited” on the document. For many years, the fishermen of Juhu are not getting this facility even after demanding open space for drying fish on the jetty approach road. The reason is that whenever the officials come to work at the government level for this conference, the builders and land mafia here on behalf of women , register complaints and interfere with the work being done for the Kolis.

The Mumbai Municipal Corporation’s estimate document is worth Rs. 45000 crore - which is bigger than a small state in India. How much has been spent on improvement of the Koliwadas since Mumbai Municipal Corporation came into existence? And how much has been spent for the improvement of slums? If this information is made available then the reason for apathy towards the Koliwadas and slums can be definitely ascertained.

What is the number of Koliwadas and slums since the Municipal Corporation came into existence and till today? If you compare these, you will notice that the number of Koliwadas are decreasing, and the number of slums is increasing, hence the need for a sustainable development plan for Koliwadas. Otherwise, the existence of Koliwadas will disappear from the map of Mumbai forever. Many requests have been made to the Municipal Corporation, Maharashtra Government through the Maharashtra Fishermen's Action Committee. If the public representatives try to understand their points of view and approve development schemes based on that, justice will be served in a true sense.

I am of the opinion that the following demands should be approved by the government in order to develop the Koli community in Mumbai:

-On the same lines as an independent authority was appointed for slum development, a Koliwada Development Authority should be appointed - and the said authority should include Fisheries, Maharashtra Maritime Board, Collector's Office and the Coastal Management Authority.

-Due to the original citizens being from Mumbai, special funds should be made available from the central and state governments for the preservation of Koli culture, customs, songs, folk songs and dialects.

-The Koli community should be declared victims of and climate change and funds should be made available to them from the center and the state.

» To develop the Koliwada Development Authority in Mumbai, a committee of experts and experts representing the Koli community will be the main link between the village and the authorities. According to the decisions planned by the local Fishermen’s cooperative in the villages, the aforementioned committee will keep the proposed Koliwada development plan with the Development Authority.

* Koliwada Development Authority will inform the Municipal Corporation, State Government and Central Government and take their approval if any amendments are to be made in the Development Control Regulations. Authority and will approve the plan of self-development in KoliWada.

Self-Development Guidelines for Mumbai Koliwada/Fishing Villages:

Historically, fishing villages / Koliwadas are villages with a distinct cultural and urban identity. Fishing and all its related activities are carried out in this village. For that, without limiting Koliwada to only a housing settlement network in the village, the historical and traditional dimensions of these villages and their heritage value should be a primary criterion for ensuring demarcation is necessary. Such an understanding includes settlements and is necessary to house fishermen and other marine community units; fish in dry areas and marine common areas are necessary; so are public buildings and community spaces that are an integral part of the infrastructure in Koliwada, and basic civic facilities like roads, markets, etc.

Once the boundaries are identified and designated as CRZ III in the village, self-development can be initiated according to the resident community's needs and wishes.

- The rest of the article on Page 7