Mira Bhayandar: A village which is located a mere 4.5 km away from the main administrative building of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) will get its first paved access road, something that the villagers only struggled for since Independence. It is unbelievable but true.
Home to around 275 people spread across 60 families, Khopra village is located close to the rapidly developing urban areas of Bhayandar. The lack of a proper approach road has remained a distant dream for the villagers for a whopping 77 years. Despite repeated pleas and appeals by the villagers, the much-needed road seemed out of reach.
However, after regular follow-ups by youth activist - Shreyas Sawant and legislator- Geeta Jain the state government finally issued a GR (dated 25, September) sanctioning modifications in the development plan (DP) mooted by the MBMC in accordance to section 37(2) of the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966 paving way for the construction of a proper motorable road leading to the village.
Khopra village near Mira-Bhayandar to finally get road access after 77 years of waiting | File Photo
The absence of proper roads had left Khopra village isolated from the rest of the city, and the situation worsens during the monsoon season. The temporary pathways, which traverse fields and salt pan land, become inundated, rendering them impassable and severely affecting the village.
In medical emergencies, villagers are forced to carry patients for two kms to reach a motorable road, from where ambulances or public transportation could ferry them to hospitals in the nearby city area.
In 2018, the villagers' persistent efforts bore fruit when the general body passed a resolution requesting approval from the state's urban development department (UDD) to construct the road.
However, due to certain portions of the land falling under the jurisdiction of the central government's salt department, along with various reservations, the UDD required a comprehensive report encompassing all the grievances.
A delegation of villagers even met chief minister-Eknath Shinde, last year seeking his intervention in the matter. After considerable deliberation and procedural formalities, the civic administration held hearings to revise the demarcations by adjusting land reservations and finally tabled a fresh proposal before the government.
Electricity After Six Decades!
Notably, the village gained access to electricity in 2014 after enduring more than six decades without power. Despite being deprived of basic facilities such as water, roads, healthcare, and education, the villagers continue to dutifully pay their levied taxes.
With renewed hope for the construction of an approach road, the residents of Khopra village eagerly await the day when their long-standing struggle for other basic amenities will finally come to an end.
