'DNA' special: Government make false claims in affidavit on Kalu dam

While the state government’s attempt to illegally dam the Kalu river in rural Murbad, Thane, is being challenged in court, it now emerges that the government has made false claims in its affidavit — about the total number of villages that will be affected, the number of people who will be displaced, and the amount of land that will be submerged. To make it all worse, work on the dam has already begun though no permissions are in place.

The government’s affidavit says, “The project will affect only 11 villages — five fully and six partially. They have been offered a complete rehab package (a corpus and a house) or a partial package (only a corpus).” It further adds, “The rehabilitation package is of Rs201 crore, while land acquisition cost of Rs90 crore has been offered.” 

DNA tagged along with Shramik Mukti Sanghatana (SMS), an organisation campaigning for adivasi rights in the region, along with the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, for a reality check.

Belying government claims, in actuality, 24 revenue villages and 62 hamlets with a total population of 19,456 will be affected. The government data includes only those whose homesteads and agricultural revenue land will be submerged. It does not take into account the loss of individually or community owned forest land.   

The Katkari, Thakar and Mahadev Koli adivasis use these forests as grazing grounds, and they have pattas from the collector to show that they have communal ownership rights over these lands since the 1950s.

But the government’s affidavit is completely silent on the loss of community lands and spaces. As Dattu Ughde of Avlichio wadi pointed out, “We depend on these lands for grazing animals, honey and mahua collection, and growing medicinal herbs.”

Forty-two villages, of which 33 are totally adivasi, will be completely cut off as the approach roads will be submerged. “Everything, from applying for a ration card, to registering a police complaint, and seeking healthcare at the Murbad rural hospital, will mean a trek up the Naneghat hills into Pune district, and finding some mode of transport back,” says Indavi Tulpule of the SMS. “With no access to school, the children will simply drop out.”

The affidavit also makes no mention of the 28 shrines and temples that will be submerged. “We believe these gods and goddesses guard us, the forest, and the river, but city folks do not understand this,” says Saibu Pawar of Chasole village, where the ancient Hatkeshwar temple (believed to be built by the exiled Pandavas) faces submersion. “Once we stop mattering as humans, it mustn’t take long for the government to brush off our Gods too.”

Despite the state revenue department calling this an eco-sensitive area in the Western Ghats region, the dam will submerge an area of 2,100 hectares, including 1,000 hectares of dense forests. Ironically, it will also submerge the water supply infrastructure for ten villages.

An indicator of just how serious the government is about rehabilitation came when the compensation package was announced unilaterally and quietly on May 4 this year. But the first time the villagers heard of it was when the Thane collectorate informed them four months later on September 19th.

The state relief and rehabilitation minister Patangrao Kadam admits this delay was a mistake. “We don’t want to do any injustice to adivasis but the state government has to think of ways to address Mumbai’s growing water needs,” he said, but refused to answer any queries on the discrepancies in the government affidavit.