Adivasi groups from Mumbai, Thane and Palghar will hold a 35-kilometre march from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park area to Raj Bhavan between September 11 and 13, seeking stronger protection for forests in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and implementation of tribal forest rights.
The march will begin around 1.30 pm on September 11 from the Sanjay Gandhi National Park area in Borivali. Organisers said participants will travel along the Western Express Highway and reach Aarey later that night, where they will halt. The second leg will begin on the morning of September 12 and end at Kherwadi in Bandra East. Participants will stay overnight under the Kherwadi flyover before leaving on the morning of September 13 for Raj Bhavan.
The announcement was made by Prakash Bhoir of the Adivasi Ekta Parishad, according to a report by Loksatta. The march is being organised around World Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Day, and is planned in three stages. The organisers expect participation from tribal communities in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar.
Among the main demands are effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and the immediate approval of individual and community forest rights claims. The groups have also sought basic facilities for tribal hamlets in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The organisers said the march would focus on forests and forest land in areas including the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Yeoor and Aarey. They alleged that forest areas and forest lands were being affected by projects proposed in the name of development, while tribal communities were facing the loss of livelihood sources and delays in recognition of their rights.
Aarey has also been cited in the mobilisation because a car shed for Metro Line 3, connecting Aarey and Cuffe Parade, has been built there. The organisers said other projects have also been proposed in the region and raised concerns about their impact on forests and the environment.
The planned march will bring together demands related to land rights, access to basic services, forest conservation and urban infrastructure. Its route from the northern edge of Mumbai through Aarey and Bandra East to Raj Bhavan is expected to place the issue before state authorities and draw attention to the relationship between metropolitan development and communities living in forest areas.
The organisers have said the march will reach Raj Bhavan on the afternoon of September 13. The report did not include details of any official response, traffic arrangements or administrative instructions related to the planned route.
