Gaothan residents resist govt survey

MUMBAI: For the last two days, residents of gaothans on airport land have been keeping vigil outside Sahar village, Andheri East. They have not allowed the officials from the collector’s office to enter the gaothan to carry out a survey of the houses on encroached plots on airport land.
Charleston D’Souza, a resident of Tank Pakhadi gaothan, said officials from the collector’s office arrived on September 1, 2, 3 and again on September 21 without giving any notice.“The first time they came my mother was alone at home. They forcibly marked our houses and gave forms to be filled. We filed a complaint with the Sahar police yet they came again on Wednesday to collect the forms and for the biometrics. Despite showing them official documents identifying our houses as part of the gaothan they would not listen,” he said.
Jude Gomes, another resident of the gaothan said the chawls constructed by him on his property in the gaothan and rented out to various families was surveyed.
“The tenants refused to fill the forms pointing out that it is private property. On Thursday, I filed a written complaint with the MMRDA and the collector’s office,” he said. Watchdog Foundation activist Nicholas Almeida said the interim development plan prepared by the MMRDA, which is the special planning authority for the airport, had excluded the three gaothans, Sutar Pakhadi, Tank Pakhadi and Church Pakhadi.
Godfrey Pimenta, convenor, Watchdog Foundation, said the lease deed signed by the government with MIAL in 2006 is only for use of land for aeronautical purposes but what is being proposed in these areas is Skycity, a construction for malls, he said. Suburban collector Deependra Singh Khushwaha said he was unaware of the issue.