Forest dept orders illegal occupants to prove ownership or vacate by February 15; those who have received notices have been asked to provide proof of ownership documents related to their houses
An official from the Tulsi Range of SGNP confirmed that they, too, have started issuing notices in their jurisdiction
Following orders from the Bombay High Court regarding a writ petition on encroachments in Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), the park authorities have served notices to around 5000 encroachers living on forest land. Those who have received notices have been asked to provide proof of ownership documents related to their houses. If they fail to do so, they must remove their illegal structures by February 15, failing which the authorities will take action.
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A forest department official said, “The Bombay High Court, in a writ petition (1995) and a Public Interest Litigation (2023), passed an order on January 14 this year to remove unauthorised encroachments in the SGNP forest area. Based on this, we have issued notices to over 5000 unauthorised encroachers in the Malad beat under the Krishnagiri Upvan range of SGNP. We have asked them to provide evidence related to their houses and submit a written reply along with copies of relevant documents.”
The notice states that if the encroachers fail to submit evidence regarding the encroached land, provide an unsatisfactory explanation, or do not remove the encroachments voluntarily, they will be officially declared as encroaching on forest department land. The forest department will then remove the illegal structures, and the cost of the eviction will be recovered from the encroachers.
A Malad resident living on the forest land said, “Many residents like me have received notices from SGNP authorities asking us to submit documents related to our houses. They have warned that action will be taken against our homes if we don’t provide the required papers proving eligibility for Resettlement and Rehabilitation (R&R). I told them I have documents proving I have lived here for a decade, but they said only those who settled before 1995 and paid the nominal R&R fee of Rs 7,000 qualify.”
An official from the Tulsi Range of SGNP confirmed that they, too, have started issuing notices in their jurisdiction. It is worth noting that in 1997, the Bombay High Court had directed SGNP officials to rehabilitate eligible slum dwellers outside SGNP. mid-day had earlier reported that, as per forest department records, a total of 25,144 slum dwellers on SGNP land have paid the Rs 7,000 nominal fee for R&R houses. Of these, 11,658 have been deemed eligible, and 11,380 have already been allotted homes in Chandivli.
However, 13,764 are yet to be resettled as the government has not yet issued criteria for determining eligibility. Additionally, around 15,000 hutments still exist on the SGNP periphery that do not qualify for rehabilitation, according to forest department sources. SGNP authorities initially planned to relocate slum dwellers from the park to Chandivli in Andheri East, and many were given houses. However, construction was halted as some buildings fell within an air funnel zone. The matter remains pending in court.
What environmentalists say
Environmentalist Debi Goenka said, “Hopefully, the Bombay High Court order will be a wake-up call for the Maharashtra government and push them to take long-overdue action to remove encroachments and build a boundary wall. Since the court has shifted the responsibility from the Forest Department to senior IAS officers, there is now greater accountability to ensure the order is swiftly implemented in letter and spirit. Hopefully, builders will be kept out this time.”
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