Encroachers to be rehabilitated ‘with’ tribals at SGNP
A Draft Correspondent | Mumbai
Man’s association with Animal has been legendary. So, while environmentalists and wildlife proponents flay ‘developmental’ works and infrastructure projects undertaken by the Maharashtra government fearing risk to animals and foliage of the zone, an aged Ajoba roams about the hamlets peppered in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) after sunset looking for that stray dog or hen that wasn’t taken back home in time. And, nobody’s minding it either. After all, simply put, a hungry Ajoba’s looking for a meal.
That is till he meets with an accident, dies due to disease or is killed in a fight with another animal. And, once that happens he is likely to find his permanent place in Santosh Anant Gaikwad’s taxidermy centre – India’s only – also within the premises of SGNP. Santosh Gaikwad, India’s only wildlife taxidermist, is the last of his lot.
Ajoba’s Record Trek Busts Popular Notions
Fitted with a radio collar, Ajoba - an adult male leopard provided a pug-by-pug account during his 78-day, 120-km journey from the thickly populated areas in villages near the forests of Ahmednagar district in April 2009 where he was rescued from a well he fell into at Takli Dhokeshwar village while looking for food before being released at Malshej Ghat.
Ajoba trekked up from the foothills towards the hilly Ratangarh area; crossed the busy Mumbai-Agra Highway straying dangerously close to habitation; crossed the rail tracks one km from Kasara station; veered closed to the Wada village near Dahanu in Thane district; walked right into the Vasai industrial area in Thane menacingly close to human settlements before finally reaching the forests of Nagla Block in Sanjay Gandhi National Park where three weeks later, he broke free from the tracking device.
The world’s only National Park to be situated within a city, SGNP has been making a lot of news of late. For years the tribal population of the Park, deprived of basic amenities such as power and water, themselves being relegated to a fragile existence, made headlines. It was perceived as a gross violation of human rights by the same hypocritical sections who interpreted the government’s attempts to facilitate development as ‘short-sighted’ and purely driven by base motives such as ‘profit’ and populist compulsions. Never mind if the tribals lived in abject poverty or risk life and limb.
Encroachers To Be Rehabilitated With Tribals
And now, in a recent meeting with the NCP legislator Vidya Chavan and attended by officials from the Forest Department and Urban Development Department, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis maintained the state government will rehabilitate encroachers at Sanjay Gandhi National Park on 90 acres of land inside Aarey at Marol-Maroshi. While 50 acres were reserved for rehabilitation of tribals, the rest of the land i.e., about 40 acres will be used for encroaching slum-dwellers who will be rehabilitated besides them. Those who came in after 2000 will have to pay a transfer fee to be eligible for free housing.
In 1997, the Bombay High Court directed the Forest Department to rehabilitate eligible slum-dwellers. Those eligible had to pay Rs 7,000 for the flat. Of the 33,000 slum families who paid up the money, 13,500 were rehabilitated at Chandivali on quarry land. The nearly 20,000 remaining families have been waiting for rehabilitation for nearly two decades now. The government recently said new rehabilitation buildings cannot be constructed at Chandivali as the area is in the aviation funnel zone.
The rehabilitation plans are to be drawn up by the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) with technical assistance from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority.
Those who felt ‘terrible’ about the plight of the tribals deprived of their basic human rights till date, have switched sides and now insist on the ‘Only for Wildlife’ theory for the National Park. But, the state’s responsibilities towards its citizens is primary even basic. It may question the credibility and legality of a claim but will not quash it solely to prove a point. The intention here being to accommodate the human factor while not putting at risk, the Wild.
Tackling the Deficit of Nature
Coined by journalist and author of nine books Richard Louv, Nature Deficit Disorder meant that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioural problems. Richard Louv has stated "nature-deficit disorder is not meant to be a medical diagnosis but rather to serve as a description of the human costs of alienation from the natural world".
Causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of electronic devices. Research indicates a link between the declining number of National Park visits in the United States and increasing consumption of electronic media by children.
It isn’t of surprise to find activists riled up as and when a developmental activity gets cleared. The railway corridor nod being a recent case in point. The ambitious project of Indian Railways, for which they sought 58 hectares of land from forest areas of Thane, Dahanu and SGNP in Borivali, received clearance from myriad authorities that included the State Forest Department, Wildlife Board and the Supreme Court. The Phase II of the project, between Vadodara and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, will require diversion of forest land.
The project handled by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, does not pass through much of the forest but only from its northern tip, where a Diva-Vasai railway line is already functioning is obviously overlooked. That kind of information would only dilute the fear psychosis generated by a motivated lobby.
So, once the permissions sought from authorities such as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Maharashtra, the State Board of Wildlife as well as the National Board of Wildlife and the Supreme Court were procured, environmentalists shifted their stand and said the ‘focus now needs to be on mitigation measures mandated on the authorities.’
Kanheri Caves To Be ‘Developed’ Too
Carved into rock surfaces, Sanjay Gandhi National Park’s Kanheri Caves will get a new lease of life as the State government is said to launch a programme for their conservation and development. This is being done to develop the lesser-known caves into tourist sites. On the anvil are plans to launch a comprehensive project for the development of the ancient rock-cut caves under the State’s jurisdiction.
On the lines of the conservation programme for forts, this too will cover conservation, construction of approach roads, steps, tourist amenities like toilets, setting up of meshes and nets to prevent bats from infesting these caves and levelling undulating surfaces. Proper signages will also be put up.
The project will be undertaken by the State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and the Tourism Department will try and secure funds. There is a strong need to secure the caves by funds and procedures in place to ensure they are visited regularly and patronised well.
‘Either-Or’ Fears Finally Exposed
The basis of all protests at SGNP are derived from the ‘Either Or’ principal that operates on the premise that either Animals live in the Park or Man does. Contrary to populist yet flawed notions, Man has always lived in close harmony with Nature. Ajoba walked through miles of human habitation, dodging train lines and settlements all the way from Malshej Ghat to SGNP, providing thousands a ‘pug-by-pug’ account of his trek before dumping the collar and strolling into oblivion.
And, as he strolls around in SGNP with ‘family’ in tow, his human counterparts live their lives in close harmony. All the talk of fights between Man and Animal, their struggles for survival and all associated drama may sound good but rob the situation of the objective tackling needed to help the Park.
Support The Draft by sharing this story.
Man’s association with Animal has been legendary. So, while environmentalists and wildlife proponents flay ‘developmental’ works and infrastructure projects undertaken by the Maharashtra government fearing risk to animals and foliage of the zone, an aged Ajoba roams about the hamlets peppered in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) after sunset looking for that stray dog or hen that wasn’t taken back home in time. And, nobody’s minding it either. After all, simply put, a hungry Ajoba’s looking for a meal.
That is till he meets with an accident, dies due to disease or is killed in a fight with another animal. And, once that happens he is likely to find his permanent place in Santosh Anant Gaikwad’s taxidermy centre – India’s only – also within the premises of SGNP. Santosh Gaikwad, India’s only wildlife taxidermist, is the last of his lot.
Ajoba’s Record Trek Busts Popular Notions
Fitted with a radio collar, Ajoba - an adult male leopard provided a pug-by-pug account during his 78-day, 120-km journey from the thickly populated areas in villages near the forests of Ahmednagar district in April 2009 where he was rescued from a well he fell into at Takli Dhokeshwar village while looking for food before being released at Malshej Ghat.
Ajoba trekked up from the foothills towards the hilly Ratangarh area; crossed the busy Mumbai-Agra Highway straying dangerously close to habitation; crossed the rail tracks one km from Kasara station; veered closed to the Wada village near Dahanu in Thane district; walked right into the Vasai industrial area in Thane menacingly close to human settlements before finally reaching the forests of Nagla Block in Sanjay Gandhi National Park where three weeks later, he broke free from the tracking device.
SGNP’s tribals live in harmony with the wild. Respect remains the hallmark of communities that live in sync with nature. So, after sunset the children are huddled indoors and infants, goats, dogs and poultry locked away from the scrutiny of the wild. Leopards, aplenty at SGNP, rarely attack humans and live in perfect harmony with mankind waiting for an error or slip to pounce upon their cattle stock or poultry.
The world’s only National Park to be situated within a city, SGNP has been making a lot of news of late. For years the tribal population of the Park, deprived of basic amenities such as power and water, themselves being relegated to a fragile existence, made headlines. It was perceived as a gross violation of human rights by the same hypocritical sections who interpreted the government’s attempts to facilitate development as ‘short-sighted’ and purely driven by base motives such as ‘profit’ and populist compulsions. Never mind if the tribals lived in abject poverty or risk life and limb.
Encroachers To Be Rehabilitated With Tribals
And now, in a recent meeting with the NCP legislator Vidya Chavan and attended by officials from the Forest Department and Urban Development Department, Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis maintained the state government will rehabilitate encroachers at Sanjay Gandhi National Park on 90 acres of land inside Aarey at Marol-Maroshi. While 50 acres were reserved for rehabilitation of tribals, the rest of the land i.e., about 40 acres will be used for encroaching slum-dwellers who will be rehabilitated besides them. Those who came in after 2000 will have to pay a transfer fee to be eligible for free housing.
In 1997, the Bombay High Court directed the Forest Department to rehabilitate eligible slum-dwellers. Those eligible had to pay Rs 7,000 for the flat. Of the 33,000 slum families who paid up the money, 13,500 were rehabilitated at Chandivali on quarry land. The nearly 20,000 remaining families have been waiting for rehabilitation for nearly two decades now. The government recently said new rehabilitation buildings cannot be constructed at Chandivali as the area is in the aviation funnel zone.
The rehabilitation plans are to be drawn up by the Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) with technical assistance from the Slum Rehabilitation Authority.
The State government’s providing accommodation for illegal residents and encroachers is being perceived as punishing the tax-payers and rewarding those indulging in illegal acts, on the face of things. That said, the State government’s decision comes close on the heels of the Supreme Court order demanding a check on the legality of slum-dwellers and a concurrent humane approach towards human encroachers.
Those who felt ‘terrible’ about the plight of the tribals deprived of their basic human rights till date, have switched sides and now insist on the ‘Only for Wildlife’ theory for the National Park. But, the state’s responsibilities towards its citizens is primary even basic. It may question the credibility and legality of a claim but will not quash it solely to prove a point. The intention here being to accommodate the human factor while not putting at risk, the Wild.
Tackling the Deficit of Nature
Coined by journalist and author of nine books Richard Louv, Nature Deficit Disorder meant that human beings, especially children, are spending less time outdoors resulting in a wide range of behavioural problems. Richard Louv has stated "nature-deficit disorder is not meant to be a medical diagnosis but rather to serve as a description of the human costs of alienation from the natural world".
Causes for the phenomenon include parental fears, restricted access to natural areas, and the lure of electronic devices. Research indicates a link between the declining number of National Park visits in the United States and increasing consumption of electronic media by children.
So, there is a distinct surge in the number of outdoor activities taking place at the SGNP with trekkers, walkers, nature enthusiasts, local and foreigners making regular visits to the Park that provides the perfect breather to escape the traffic, pollution and noise that the city risks buckling under.
It isn’t of surprise to find activists riled up as and when a developmental activity gets cleared. The railway corridor nod being a recent case in point. The ambitious project of Indian Railways, for which they sought 58 hectares of land from forest areas of Thane, Dahanu and SGNP in Borivali, received clearance from myriad authorities that included the State Forest Department, Wildlife Board and the Supreme Court. The Phase II of the project, between Vadodara and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, will require diversion of forest land.
The project handled by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Limited, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, does not pass through much of the forest but only from its northern tip, where a Diva-Vasai railway line is already functioning is obviously overlooked. That kind of information would only dilute the fear psychosis generated by a motivated lobby.
So, once the permissions sought from authorities such as the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Maharashtra, the State Board of Wildlife as well as the National Board of Wildlife and the Supreme Court were procured, environmentalists shifted their stand and said the ‘focus now needs to be on mitigation measures mandated on the authorities.’
The mitigation measures anyway include providing underpasses for free movement of wild animals, chain link fencing for protection and conservation of the environment, compensatory afforestation and funds for upkeep and improvement of SGNP. So, the need to keep checks and ensure mitigation measures.
Kanheri Caves To Be ‘Developed’ Too
Carved into rock surfaces, Sanjay Gandhi National Park’s Kanheri Caves will get a new lease of life as the State government is said to launch a programme for their conservation and development. This is being done to develop the lesser-known caves into tourist sites. On the anvil are plans to launch a comprehensive project for the development of the ancient rock-cut caves under the State’s jurisdiction.
On the lines of the conservation programme for forts, this too will cover conservation, construction of approach roads, steps, tourist amenities like toilets, setting up of meshes and nets to prevent bats from infesting these caves and levelling undulating surfaces. Proper signages will also be put up.
The project will be undertaken by the State Directorate of Archaeology and Museums and the Tourism Department will try and secure funds. There is a strong need to secure the caves by funds and procedures in place to ensure they are visited regularly and patronised well.
‘Either-Or’ Fears Finally Exposed
The basis of all protests at SGNP are derived from the ‘Either Or’ principal that operates on the premise that either Animals live in the Park or Man does. Contrary to populist yet flawed notions, Man has always lived in close harmony with Nature. Ajoba walked through miles of human habitation, dodging train lines and settlements all the way from Malshej Ghat to SGNP, providing thousands a ‘pug-by-pug’ account of his trek before dumping the collar and strolling into oblivion.
And, as he strolls around in SGNP with ‘family’ in tow, his human counterparts live their lives in close harmony. All the talk of fights between Man and Animal, their struggles for survival and all associated drama may sound good but rob the situation of the objective tackling needed to help the Park.
Support The Draft by sharing this story.
