Maharashtra Govt Sets Up Two Seven-Member Committees After 28 Years To Tackle Encroachments In Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Mumbai: Nearly twenty-eight years after the Bombay High Court first rapped the Maharashtra government over unchecked encroachments in the ecologically sensitive Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), the state has finally taken a concrete step. Two seven-member committees — one for Mumbai, the other for Thane — have now been formed to oversee the twin tasks of evicting illegal encroachers and rehabilitating eligible slum dwellers.
About The Issue
The issue was first raised through a writ petition in 1995. Two years later, in 1997, the HC directed the state to identify and rehabilitate those eligible, while evicting the rest. In 2023, after years of inaction, the matter returned to the court in the form of a public interest litigation filed by Samyak Janhit Seva and a contempt petition by the Conservation Action Trust.
The HC once again castigated the government for failing to act decisively. The newly formed committees, headed respectively by the Deputy Directors of SGNP — Borivali for Mumbai and Yeoor for Thane, mark the first time such structured oversight has been institutionalised. This is a significant development in what has long been a legal and administrative quagmire.
About The Committees
The Mumbai committee will include senior officials from the offices of the Mumbai Suburban Collector, Police Commissioner, Municipal Commissioner, MHADA, and the Slum Rehabilitation Authority. The Assistant Forest Conservator (Borivali) will act as the member secretary.
The Thane committee comprises parallel authorities from the district and municipal levels, with the Assistant Forest Conservator (Yeoor) serving as secretary. The challenge ahead is monumental. The government must rehabilitate an estimated 27,000 families, of which around 2,000 are tribal and the rest nontribal.
Assuming an average household of five members, this translates to the displacement and resettlement of approximately 1.35 lakh people. This will require not just careful planning but vast land parcels and substantial funds. The government claims it has earmarked both and placed them at the disposal of the Public Works Department (PWD), signalling intent, though past inaction continues to breed skepticism. The new state orders mandate that both committees must submit fortnightly reports to the SGNP’s Director and Chief Conservator of Forests, who will act as the overall controlling authority.
This reporting mechanism is expected to ensure accountability and pace. The turning point came after the HC sought a clear action plan from the government. A meeting chaired by the Chief Minister was convened, following which a comprehensive plan was submitted to the court. The real test, however, begins now — in implementation
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