Mon Apr 14 17:47:35 UTC 2025: **Maharashtra Villagers Protest 40-Year-Old Unfulfilled Rehabilitation Promise**
Uran, Maharashtra – Over 400 residents of Sheva Koliwada village in Raigad district staged a protest on Monday, April 14, 2025, demanding the fulfillment of a 40-year-old promise of rehabilitation. The villagers, displaced in 1984 to make way for the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) township project, have been living in a transit camp ever since, despite repeated assurances from both the state and central governments.
The protest, which involved a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a demonstration outside the tehsildar’s office, concluded after the tehsildar agreed to forward their demands, including a CID investigation into the delays. These demands also encompass compensation for lost land and livelihood, the construction of new homes, and a resolution to the village’s severe water shortage.
The villagers claim they have received no compensation and lack proof of ownership of the land they currently occupy. Following a previous Hindu report highlighting their plight and subsequent election boycott, officials had visited the village. While meetings with central government officials resulted in verbal assurances of rehabilitation, including the construction of homes within three years, no action has been taken, prompting Monday’s protest. The villagers also cited a severe water shortage, with water available only for one hour every eight days since March 22. Their 32-point demand letter includes a call for action against JNPT officials for the delays. The tehsildar has promised to forward the letter to the relevant authorities.
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