Survey of land near airport: Residents vigilant
The residents of gaothans on airport land have been keeping vigil outside Sahar village, Andheri East and the officials from the collector's office are not allowed to enter the gaothan to carry out a survey of the houses on encroached plots on airport land.
“Eighteen members of our foundation had been arrested morning 4 am by the BKC police and lathi charge was also done when they had held a morcha. Some of the workers of the foundation are in police custody in different police station,” said Nicholas Almedia, from the Watchdog Foundation.
Vinnie D’souza, Congress corporator and an associate Deepali Jadhav both were in police custody till Tuesday night. The MMRDA is also assisting Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) in rehabilitating the slum-dwellers. MMRDA is doing survey for the private company MIAL.
With the help of the police MIAL is threatening the resident of slums and hence 2000 SRP police had been appointed for the survey of 6000 slums near airport area. Incidentally, around 3000 slumdwellers along with members of Watchdog Foundation took to streets and conducted protests demanding rehabilitation plan even on September 17. “We want the surveyors to show us the rehabilitation plan. They cannot conduct the surveys in the slum pockets without showing the slum dwellers the plan and place of rehabilition,” Almedia said.
He further said that ” We are going to organise Nariyal Breaking Andolan on the 50 acre area in Airport colony in front of Shivajis statue near Sahar Airport road.” All the political parties are in support with us except BJP, Almeida added.