The Maharashtra government on Tuesday informed the Bombay High Court that it has offered a rehabilitation scheme and hostel facility to students from a village who have to use a boat and pass through dense forest to reach their school, But the parents refused to take advantage of it. Same. Three separate affidavits filed by the forest department, education department and the concerned tehsildar were submitted to a bench headed by Justice PB Varle on Tuesday.
The affidavit was filed after the High Court took suo motu cognizance of a news report about students of Khirkindi village in Satara district traveling by a boat in the Koyana backwaters and walking through a forest to reach their school. Assistant Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Subhash Bagdi in his affidavit said that Khirkindi village falls in the core area of important tiger habitat or Sahyadri Tiger Reserve and hence, it was proposed for resettlement.
According to the affidavit, residents of Khirkindi village were shifted to Bhiwandi in Thane district. However, six families of the village are yet to relocate and have taken over agricultural land and housing plots allotted to them in Bhiwandi. Eight students from these six families live in Khirkindi village and reach their school by boat. The affidavit states that these families have not accepted the rehabilitation given by the government.
It would not be possible to build a road to the village and one would have to travel by road to reach the place, the statement said. As per the affidavit filed by Jawali taluka Tehsildar Rajendra Pol, at least 70 families of Khirkindi were rehabilitated in Bhiwandi, but six families refused to accept the resettlement.
Poll said in the affidavit that despite repeatedly giving notices and being informed personally, these families were unwilling to shift and continued to live in the village at their own risk. These families have been provided with various facilities and assistance like cycles, boats and life jackets by various NGOs, the affidavit said.
The education department also sent a proposal to the parents of these students, who are traveling from Khirkindi, that they would be accommodated in a hostel in Jawali taluka. But the parents are not ready to send them to the hostel, the affidavit said. The affidavit, filed by Imtiaz Qazi, Joint Secretary, Department of School Education and Sports, said that out of the eight students, two were studying in Khirkindi Zilla Parishad School and the rest have to go to a school in Shembadi, as they are at higher level. classes.
These students have to travel from Khirkindi to Shembadi via Koyana backwaters in a private boat and then walk 4 km through the forest, the affidavit said. The High Court noted that this would widen the scope of the petition, observing that the students were suffering due to lack of facilities and posted the petition for further hearing on June 16.
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