Mumbai: Families on the edge of SGNP live under constant threat of eviction

Hundreds of families living along the fringes of Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP in Malad East are caught in a daily struggle for survival and face the constant threat of evictionThe forest department has launched a largescale survey of huts allegedly built on forest land filing cases under various provisions of the Indian Forest Act Sources said over 1500 residents have already been booked for encroachment branding them as ldquooffendersrdquo in official recordsFor many the issue isnrsquot just about losing their homes itrsquos about losing their dignity Once charged their names appear in online police verification records flagging them as accused and costing them jobs housing and opportunitiesGovindkumar Jaiswar stands outside his home Sainath Welfare Society in Pimpri Pada Malad EastldquoI am not a criminalrdquo said Govindkumar Jaiswar 40 a resident of Sainath Welfare Society Pimpri Pada ldquoIrsquove lived here for years but now no one gives me work because of this case Irsquom forced to survive on daily wagesrdquoJaiswar who has lived in the area since 2005 said all his documents mdash voter ID PAN and ration card mdash list the same address ldquoIn 2023 we got notices from the forest department Hundreds of people were summoned with their documents Later around ten of us were taken to court and had to pay bail of R3000 eachrdquo he said showing the papersHe sent his family to their village to save money and started working as a delivery rider only to have his account suspended the next day ldquoA voice message said my registration was cancelled due to a criminal record When I checked with the office they confirmed it my name appeared in a forest caserdquo he saidldquoIrsquove never even been to a police stationrdquo Jaiswar added ldquoNow I canrsquot work anywhere I canrsquot even get a passport The government must stop treating poor residents like criminals Wersquore just trying to liverdquoRam Bhoite district president of Shivsangram who has been helping the affected families said ldquoDo people living on forest land not deserve to eat When cases show up in online records no one gives them jobs Even women working as domestic help are being rejected after police verificationrdquoIn a biting remark Bhoite added ldquoIf the government canrsquot give them homes or jobs at least give them licences to steal so they can feed their familiesrdquoThe forest sideAccording to forest officials thousands of people have lived for decades across 200300 hectares of forest land in Malad Dahisar Thane Yeoor Mulund Bhandup and KandivliSo far around 16000 huts have been surveyed in Malad and Dahisarrsquos Rawalpada area Cases have been registered against 940 residents in Malad and 700 in Dahisar for alleged illegal encroachmentOfficials said the survey follows government guidelines stating that huts standing before January 1 2011 will be considered eligible for rehabilitation and relocationA forest officer told midday ldquoIn 1997 the Bombay High Court directed the removal of encroachments from SGNP and rehabilitation for those living there before January 1 1995 About 11000 families were moved to Chandivli but the rest are still waitingrdquoA survey of the remaining housing units is still underway However the then government claimed it lacked sufficient funds to carry out rehabilitation on such a large scale Following this the court directed eligible residents to deposit R7000 each with the government as part of the relocation processThe officer said the state plans to relocate eligible residents to Sangharsh Nagar where 11 towers are being rebuilt after structural issues halted construction years agoFollowing a public interest litigation PIL in 2023 the Supreme Court in January 2025 directed the government to expedite housing for all remaining eligible families The ongoing survey conducted by Grant Thornton through MHADA aims to identify those residents1500Approx no of residents allegedly booked for encroachment