Dungi village that was affected by the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) project has been flooded yet again due to the diversion of the Ulwe river. The diversion, which was part of the pre-development works for the NMIA project, was finished in June 2019, following which Dungi was flooded for the first time last year.
“After protests and follow-ups, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) agreed to rehabilitate us. Till the time the process got over, we were asked to shift to rental places and were promised rental money. But all that we got last year was rental money for four months. Later, we came back to our village,” Adesh Naik, a Dungi villager, said.
This year, villagers again raised their voice for rehabilitation. The CIDCO, through a videoconference in June, tried to allay villagers’ fear of flooding during monsoon. In order to shift them to safety, the CIDCO asked them to submit the required documents and get the land allotted as per the package, following which they would be eligible to receive 11 months’ rent and move to another house.
But with many villagers found to be not eligible for the package as per the criteria set by the CIDCO, the villagers refused to move out. “The villagers demanded that either they all move out or none to which the CIDCO has complied. We had a meeting on Thursday and it was communicated to them that they should move out to a rented place and rent amount for four months would be provided to them. The villagers have not yet replied,” Amit Sanap, Panvel tehsildar, said.
Mr. Naik said no one rents out a space for just four months. “How can we keep moving out every year for four months and then come back to our village. The CIDCO should give us rental money for 18 months as it was promised earlier and also consider making every villager eligible for the package. We are daily wagers and our lives are affected by the river diversion,” he said.