Mumbai: Just a few days ahead of the scheduled Lok Sabha election, the fisherfolks or Koli communities of Mumbai have decided not to cast their vote on April 29.
The residents and representatives from five koliwadas, which will be directly affected by the projects at Colaba, Worli, Mahim, Juhu and Khar Danda. Kolis from these areas have decided to boycott the elections. They believe three projects — coastal road, Shivaji memorial, and the 300-acre BMC park — to be constructed by reclaiming the sea off Mumbai coast will adversely impact their livelihood.
Nitesh Patil, director, Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Matsya Vyavsay Cooperative society, said, “We are not going to vote this time. In Worli, we have decided to hoist black flags on the election day.” Ujwala Patil, chairperson, Koliwada-Gaothan Vistar Kruti Samiti, said, the Kolis are the original inhabitants of Mumbai, who over the years were forced to live in small pockets close to the coast that we now call koliwadas. Mumbai is their home.
“We are in solidarity with the 42 koliwada communities as they will be affected by the projects and have boycotted the elections collectively,” said Patil. The fishermen claim despite repeated attempts to initiate dialogue with the BJP-led state government, and the Shiv Sena-led Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the authorities continue to overlook their demands.
The government has failed to do anything and till date they have not given us anything in writing. We will vote only if the government agrees to our demands in writing,” said one of the fishermen. However, the fisherfolks’ troubles are not only prospective. About 157 boats belonging to the Worli Koliwada have been docked at the shore for the past two months.
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These fishermen are out of work as the BMC has started the construction of a jetty for the coastal road at Worli. Harishchandra Nagpoa, chairman of Worli Koliwada Nakhwa Matsya Vyavsay Cooperative society, said that about 450 families from this koliwada are directly dependent on fishing to earn their livelihood.
Approximately 1,500 families are dependant on allied businesses, such as stitching nets, providing ice for fish preservation, drying fish in the sun daily, and selling their produce in the market. “We lay our nets in the sea very close to the shore and leave them overnight. We manage to catch a lot of fish this way. But as BMC has begun to ferry machinery in the sea, it tears into our nets,” said Nagpoa.
