More Fishermen Affected Due To Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Corridor To Be Identified Via New Survey, Compensated

Those fishermen who are alleging that they have been left out of the survey conducted in June by Mumbai Metropolitan region Development Authority (MMRDA) for families affected due to construction of the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link Corridor (MTHL) have some good news.

On Monday, January 14, MMRDA floated a tender to give a contract to conduct the survey of fishermen who have been supposedly left out in the previous year’s survey. After the 2018 survey, a compensation of Rs 600,000 had been paid to over 1,500 families.

The corridor will connect Mumbai and Navi Mumbai by way of a sea bridge. About 20,000 fishermen have been affected due to the project.

The Indian Express quoted MMRDA Additional Commissioner Sanjay Khandare as saying, “After receiving letters from them, we planned to hold a new survey for those not covered earlier. If they fit the criteria, MMRDA will compensate them. The compensation will be based on the impact the project has on a family. The maximum compensation one could get is Rs 6 lakh.”

Marine life has been affected due to the project, say some fishermen who depend solely on fishing for their survival.

Maharashtra Machchimar Kriti Samiti Mumbai unit’s women wing president Ujala Patil said, “The money being offered is not enough. They should also give us jobs in the project. We have demanded that they should first provide us compensation and then start work. They have not paid heed to any of our demands and started work on the project,” The Indian Express reported.