Koliwadas and Gaothans of Mumbai
UCM is working with the koliwada and gaothan communities to advocate the rights of these communities through engagement and documentation for empowering their voices.
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Gaothan communities such as Koliwadas, Bhandarwadas, Agripadas, Adivasipadas and East Indian villages are the original inhabitants across the seven districts of the Konkan belt. As urban areas have grown, the settlements have shrunk, and as families have expanded, their living conditions have become extremely dense, leading to deterioration of settlement fabric with inadequate & crumbling essential infrastructure.
​Today, the koliwadas are being mischievously labelled as slums, facing eviction notices and demolition pressures from vested interests due to their sea facing locations. Despite being the oldest indigenous communities of Maharashtra, they are at major threat of losing their identity, homes and livelihood.​​​
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CRZ Regulations were formulated in 1991 to protect the koliwadas, but today the koliwadas themselves are missing from the Coastal Zone Management Plans of Maharashtra. Violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules which are for the protection of the coastline and its inhabitants has led to serious consequences of environmental degradation and disruption of coastal ecosystems.
The ​Community is continuously threatened by natural disasters due to their proximity to the sea, the 2018 Kerala floods are an important case to highlight the role of fisherfolk in ensuring the safety of our coastline and all its residents. The floods caused tremendous distress, and it was the fishing community who managed to bring 70% people to safety. There is therefore a need for appropriate enforcement of the CRZ rules which are in place to protect the coastline and its inhabitants, the marine ecosystem and native fishers.​
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The communities are being marginalized by displacement of fish vendors (mainly women) from markets through sale/ redevelopment of markets spaces.
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The Draft Maharashtra State Housing Policy 2024 has further threatened their existence by prescribing cluster form of development which is a planning policy measures for upgradation of slum settlements, completely aimed at marginalising and annihilating these communities.
Core Concerns
The living and livelihood are in a dire position due to the flawed state of their rights.
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Environment Rights: Fishing Villages and common people of the fishing communities are missing in the CZMA Maps
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Land Rights: Extent of Koliwada incorrectly demarcated in the DP 2034
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Development Rights: Lack of appropriate developmental control regulations in the DCPR 2034 and Maharashtra state housing policy
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Right to life: Lack of essential trunk and sanitation infrastructure in all Koliwadas, Gaothans and Adivasi padas
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Livelihood rights: Ignorance of basic Market needs that sustain the Koli women
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(Detailed description provided for each of the rights below)
Voices of the Community
UCM conducted interviews of the residents of koliwadas with the aim to glean and understand, articulate their concerns and facilitate a platform to discuss their various concerns.​
Ujwala Patil, Mahim Koliwada
Integrate Koli Lands into the 2034 Development Plan
Dhiraj Bhandari, Charkop Koliwada
Inaccurate demarcation of the Koliwada in the CZMA Maps
Bheemsen Khopte, Khardanda Koliwada
Importance of Koliwada demarcation
Jyoti Koli, Trombay Koliwada
Absence of Basic Facilities for Women in Koliwada Markets
Suren Koli, Chendani Koliwada
Exclusion of Fishing Villages, Koli Lands, and Gaothans from CZMA Maps
Rajesh Mangela, Juhu Koliwada
Dilution of CRZ 2011 Regulations to Allow Unrelated Projects in Koliwadas
Land Rights
In 1991, the Coastline Regulation Zone notification expressed a dire concern to maintain and conserve the coastal region and its environmental resources as well as its inhabitants.
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In 2018, the Fisheries Department, Revenue Department alongside the kolis worked out a joint demarcation. The goal was to ensure that these communities had secure land tenure and access to their ancestral fishing grounds.​
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Following which, the Development Plan released in 2022 showed a drastic reduction in allotted area for the koliwadas triggering alarm bells within the Koli community to safeguard their livelihood. ​The exclusion from the DP has severe consequences on their livelihood, the spaces they require to carry out fishing and related activities would not be available to them.
Deonar Koliwada
1991 DP
2018 Joint Demarcation
2022 DP
Juhu Koliwada
1991 DP
2018 Joint Demarcation
2022 DP
Manori Koliwada
1991 DP
2018 Joint Demarcation
2022 DP
Environmental Rights
​The Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules are formulated to safeguard the livelihood and houses of the Kolis but they have been diluted to allow other development projects. Further, the activities of the Koli people have not been included in the CZMA Maps which brings to question the fidelity of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations in protecting the rights and livelihoods of the Koli communities.
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The CZMA should immediately publish maps at cadastral scale i.e. 1:3960 including the fishing villages, common properties of the fishermen communities, fishing jetties, ice plants, fish drying platforms or areas infrastructure facilities of fishing, long-term housing needs and basic services including sanitation, safety, and disaster preparedness etc. ​​The Notification 2019 (MoEF): Classification of CRZ areas states the following:
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Cadastral (village) maps in 1:3960 or the nearest scale as available with Revenue Authorities shall be use as the base maps.
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In the CRZ areas, the fishing villages, common properties of the fishermen communities, fishing jetties, ice plants, fish drying platforms or areas infrastructure facilities of fishing and local communities such as dispensaries, roads, schools, and the like, shall be indicated on the cadastral scale maps and States and Union territories shall prepare detailed plans for long term housing needs of coastal fisher communities in view of expansion and other needs, provisions of basic services including sanitation, safety, and disaster preparedness.​
Developmental Rights
​The settlements of the koliwadas are deeply rooted in the sea, both for sustenance and cultural identity. The close-knit nature of these communities, with homes situated near the water, has sustained the Koli way of life for centuries. However, the Draft Housing Policy overlooks this unique dynamic, proposing provisions that fail to recognize the Kolis' deep connection to the coastal environment.
Draft Housing Policy, 2024
The policy provisions for the redevelopment of Gaothans lack clarity and fail to address the complex issues, living patterns, existing settlements, or the specific needs of the community. The proposed measures are overly simplistic and do not adequately consider these factors.
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Section 4.13.4 references Regulation 33(16) of the DCPR, which lacks special provisions for Gaothan communities, despite the BMC receiving thousands of requests and suggestions from these communities for tailored DCRs. The current regulation yet does not address their specific needs.​
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There is no correlation between the PMAY scheme and the redevelopment of Gaothans, as these communities require a comprehensive plan that addresses their living, livelihood, and settlement needs.​
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PMAY-U focuses on slum redevelopment and providing affordable housing to families without a pucca house, which does not align with the needs of Gaothan residents. Additionally, many Gaothan families already own pucca houses, making them ineligible for PMAY benefits.​
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Cluster Development approach in section 4.13.4 (b) is a highly questionable approach as it marginalizes communities who prefer improvements to their existing living conditions over large-scale redevelopment. They seek better infrastructure, minor alterations, and consolidation of uses, while maintaining their livelihoods.
Special DCRs for the Development of Koliwadas
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To allow and facilitate the community to self-develop, using a palette of measures such as incremental expansion, upgradation of trunk and sanitation infrastructure, community land reserve, heritage conservation etc.​
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The community is in urgent need of special DCRs based on their specific settlement conditions and requirements ensuring that the communities are able retain their indigenous character, enhance their livelihoods and create a healthy and sustainable self-development model for their settlements.
Livelihood Rights
​The Market places where the women of the koli community sell fish are subjected to harsh conditions. For the long hours they spend in the market trying to earn their daily income, they have no toilet facilities, no water supply. For which reason the women prefer to not drink water, to avoid walking a 20 minute route to the nearest toilet, leaving their fish unguarded.
Making kidney related ailments and possible urinary tract infections much more prevalent amongst them. Most markets do not allocate a proper sitting space either. The women spend all day in this dingy and clustered market setting with no scope of improvement.
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Women’s rights and dignity of livelihood need to be conserved in these market spaces where the Koli women spend long hours, through upgradation of sanitation infrastructure, providing proper licenses etc.