The Bombay High Court will hear on August 28, a petition seeking compensation for the Koli fishing community, which allegedly suffered significant losses due to the construction and operation of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), also known as Atal Setu.
The matter will be taken up by the Bench of Justice BP Colabawalla and Justice Firdosh Pooniwalla.
Moved by Mari Aai Machimar Sahkari Sanstha Maryadit, a society representing 1,210 members of the Koli community from seven traditional fishing villages (Koliwadas) in Navi Mumbai, the petition argued that the community’s traditional fishing activities have been severely impacted due to the construction of the 21.8-km-long bridge, which has been designed to connect Mumbai with Navi Mumbai.
The petition claimed that the the MTHL project has resulted in a steep decline in fish production with a reported 60 percent reduction in fish stock within the Thane creek since construction began in 2018.
The affected villages included Vashigaon, Juhugaon, Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, Gothivali, Diva and Belapur.
This significant loss has directly affected the income and livelihood of the Koli community, a Scheduled Tribe in Maharashtra with a historical connection to fishing in Thane Creek.
Despite these well-documented impacts, the community has been excluded from compensation schemes designed to mitigate the adverse effects of the project, noted the plea, filed by Advocate Zaman Ali.
It highlighted a series of surveys conducted by the Fisheries Department to assess the impact of MTHL on local fishing villages.
In February 2021, a third survey was conducted focusing on 10 villages where the petitioners reside. The survey report indicated a severe decline in fish production, with the 2018-19 fishing season recording only 46 percent of the production levels seen in 2017-18.
The report further detailed that by the 2019-20 season, fish production had dropped by 60 percent compared to 2017-18 levels, and the number of mechanical fishing boats going out for fishing tours had significantly decreased.
The report concluded with alarming figures, showing a 59.34 percent reduction in fish production and a 54.25 percent decline in income for the fishing community during the 2020-21 period compared to 2015-16.
It said the statistics underscored the devastating impact of MTHL project on the Koli community, which was facing severe economic instability and a threat to its traditional way of life.
The petitioners argued that while some fishermen living within a five-km radius of the project have been included in compensation policies, those residing 10-15 km away, including the petitioners, have been unjustly excluded.
The petition called for the Bombay High Court to direct the relevant authorities, including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), the Department of Fisheries, and the Revenue & Forest Department, to provide adequate compensation to the affected fisher folk.