Owe camp residents stage rasta roko against quarrying

Koyna dam Project Affected People (PAP) residing at Owe camp in Kharghar staged a rasta roko on Thursday morning in protest against the quarrying activity in their village.

Hundreds of residents of the camp, which has nearly 225 homes and a population of 2,500, came out on to the road in protest against quarrying-related inconvenience and health issues they say they have been facing for the past 23 years.

No response

Rajendra Jadhav, a resident, said, “We were displaced from our homes in 1960 when the Koyna dam project came up. We were rehabilitated at Owe camp, which has had no basic amenities. Various letters and complaints to the government have fallen on deaf ears.”

Mr. Jadhav said the residents had written to the Panvel City Municipal Commissioner, the tehsildar and the collector, to no avail. “The conditions of our homes are deteriorating due to the quarry. We are farmers and our farms are next to these mines,” he said.

Navi Mumbai, 05/04/2018: Old man shows crack on the wall due to illegal quary activity behind their houses. Koyna dam Project Affected People's staying at Owa camp in Kharghar staged rasta rokotoday fed up of the illegal quary business. Photo- Yogesh Mhatre. Story - Raiana Assaianar.   | Photo Credit: Yogesh Mhatre

Harendra Limaye, another resident, said they had to keep pouring water on the road to wash away the dust generated by the quarrying. “The heavy vehicles that come to the quarry keep damaging the water pipeline to our village. Moreover, the stagnant water in the mines cause diseases like dengue and malaria, and there were two deaths due to dengue last year.” He also said the residents were afraid the danger the heavy vehicles posed to school children, who walked on the same road.

Cidco has provided a common tap for every four houses, and when the pipelines get damaged, the whole village runs out of water for days. The residents have accused politicians of showing up at their camp only during election time.

Said Santosh Rewane, another resident, “It is nearly impossible for sick and pregnant women to travel on this road. A new road and bridge are urgently required but nobody seems to be bothered.” Every house, he said, had huge cracks, which the residents cannot afford to repair. Dust from the quarry is another cause for concern, and the villagers plan to approach the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board with their grievance.

Onus on Cidco

A Panvel City Municipal Corporation official who did not wish to be named, said, “The land where the quarry is belongs to Cidco. Only Cidco can take a call about it. The owners of the quarry have been paying royalties to the Revenue Department and hence it cannot be illegal.”