Those living near mangrove areas before 2005 will not be evicted: Medha Patkar

Social activist Medha Patkar said on Wednesday that forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar has assured her that the slum dwellers living near the mangrove areas since before 2005 will not be evicted.

Patkar, along with a delegation of representatives of Ghar Bachao, Ghar Banao Andolan (GBGBA), had called on Mungantiwar to hand over a memorandum, demanding protection for the residents of Bheemchaya locality, Kannamwar Nagar-II in Vikhroli (E), Cheeta Camp Trombay, Chkuwadi-Malwani in Malad and Kaccha Rasta Malwani in Malad. Patkar was accompanied by Bilal Khan, Uday Mohite, Mauluddin Hawari, Shriram Rajbhar, Rehmat Arib Sayyad, Sushma Mukeshnath, among others.

Patkar pointed out to the minister that the Mangroves Cell has evicted almost 4,000 families so far and plans were afoot to evict even more slum dwellers. She said the minister agreed that since the Bombay High Court judgment in this regard came on October 6, 2005, it would be inhuman to evict the residents who have been living in the area before 2005. She added the minister welcomed the idea of joint forest management by formulating joint committees of residents and forest officials.

The Mangrove Cell has demolished around 3,000 hutments from the mangrove areas across the city in the last one year, based on satellite maps that show these as encroachments.