Mumbai: The state govt’s decision to demarcate koliwadas in the Development Plan (DP) comes ahead of BMC elections and is seen as a major attempt to woo the Koli community which is traditionally known to back the Shiv Sena (UBT) in several wards. On Friday, suburbs guardian minister Ashish Shelar had directed that all koliwadas whose boundaries have been demarcated must be marked in the city’s DP within 60 days.At a meeting with BMC, SRA and Mhada officials Thursday, Shelar reviewed the status of boundary demarcations. There MLA Manisha Chaudhary said that although demarcations are complete, the lack of DP markings has created difficulties for Koli residents, even for carrying out home repairs. Shelar then instructed that the demarcated areas be marked in the DP in 60 days.With this decision, the BJP is looking to woo the Kolis and make inroads into wards in Worli, Sion, Malad and Versova. “This was a long-pending demand but the timing of this decision is purely political. The decision has been taken by BJP and interestingly, the Shiv Sena which is an alliance partner has been kept out. Shelar is guardian minister for Mumbai suburban district while Eknath Shinde is guardian minister for Mumbai city. But the BJP has taken a lead in taking decisions ahead of BMC polls. The decision to demarcate Koliwadas comes days after the decision to roll out an amnesty policy for buildings without occupation certificates (OCs). This indicates that the poll bugle for BMC polls has already been sounded within the BJP,” said a political observer.Devendra Tandel, president of the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti said, “We welcome the directions to demarcate Koliwadas in the DP in suburbs. The demarcation process for Mumbai city was completed in 2022. However, till date, the benefits of repairing the houses inside such koliwadas have not been provided by the authorities. Under the CRZ Act, fishermen can construct their houses upto 9 meters (33 feet) high. However, in Mumbai, we are not permitted to go beyond 14 ft which is the ceiling for slums. All the govts, past and present, are found playing with the emotions of Koli people by announcing one direction or the other before elections. Our demand of Saat-Barah (7/11) or property card which will give us ownership of our lands is not materialising because of govt-builder nexus. Only when our demand for ownership of our land is met will we believe in the political class.”Koliwadas or fishing villages are located in prime sea-facing lands across Mumbai. However, the state govt is yet to demarcate their boundaries. As a result, the specific location of the koliwadas is not clear.According to local historians, most koliwadas such as Worli’s are fishing villages whose history dates back centuries. Several koliwadas were part of the seven islands that formed Mumbai and are home to original settlers: The Kolis, Agris and Bhandaris.
