After several political representatives “failed” to prevent displacement of villagers owing to upcoming infrastructure projects in the region, two independent candidates have jumped into the Palghar Lok Sabha fray against heavyweights.

According to Dattaram Karbat and Swapnil Koli, they are in the Lok Sabha fight to save their land, livelihood and to give a “voice” to Palghar’s residents.

Opposition of the locals to part with their land is one of the many issues that are talked about in the Palghar constituency. The constituency has a considerable tribal and Koli population and a slew of Centre-backed infrastructure projects are passing through villages in the constituency. Apart from the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, the proposed Vadhwan port, Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) passes through the constituency and it would require acquisition of farm land and land tilled by tribals.

Karbat, one of the founders of the Bhoomiputra Bachao Andolan—a group of small organisations opposing the infrastructure project—has been travelling across the vast constituency and urging people to vote to save their land. The group have been opposing land acquisition for bullet train, the expressway and the port projects. Several villages, including Uplaat, Aamgam, Dongri, Hanuman Nagar, Shigaon, Vanai, are going to be affected by the bullet-train project.

Of the 1,400 hectares to be acquired for the project, 353 hectares are in Maharashtra. So far, the National High-Speed Rail Corporation has managed to acquire 0.9 hectares in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Around 5,000 acres will be reclaimed in the sea for the Vadhwan port. Around 500 acres will be required to build roads and other infrastructure leading to the port that would be India’s first foreshore one. Here, locals who primarily depend on fishing and making jewellery moulds will lose their homes and livelihood.

“We had supported candidates from prominent political parties in the past. But they just come to seek votes during elections and have not helped prevent displacement. In the past five years ,the BJP and Shiv Sena governments [in the state and in the country] have not solved the basic problem of the common man. Instead, they have thrust projects on us for ‘vikas’ and ‘acche din’ of some builders and certain businessmen,” said Karbat.

Ramesh Ahadi, a tribal from Hanuman Nagar, said, “We had a meeting on Wednesday about who do we vote for. The village collectively has decided to back Karbat. We do not want to be persuaded by money or food that will last us one day. It is a matter of our existence now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Koli is aiming to solve the issues of the fishing community in the constituency. The constituency has a coastline from Vasai to Dahanu has a considerable chunk of Koli voters, which he is hoping to secure. For Koli, one of the top priorities is to get the Vadhwan port project scrapped as it would “completely destroy the fishing villages”.

For Koli and his supporters, successive MPs have sought votes, but have not solved their issues. “Government can declare drought for farmers, but there is no mechanism to check that for fishermen. With fishing activities not yielding enough, the community is worried that the coastal highway project and port development in the region will further hit the business,” he said.

Koli added that like there is a tribal development committee, there is a need for a committee to look into the demands and needs of the fishing community.

“Maharashtra has a 720-km coastline, but there is no independent body to look into the issues of the community. We will set up an independent body for fishermen. This year, the catch is at an all-time low due to various factors, including natural ones. We want to give a voice to our community that has been neglected over the years,” said Koli, adding that around one-third of the voters in Palghar constituency are Kolis. The total registered voters in Palghar are 18.85 lakh.

First Published: Apr 27, 2019 00:40 IST