PONDA: A public meeting at Bokadbag in Bandora condemned grabbing of land belonging to the Scheduled Tribe communities in the village.
At the well attended the meeting, the locals alleged that a woman, acting as an agent of a company, fraudulently obtained the signatures of the Scheduled Tribe people and grabbed their land. Later, the same woman started filing complaints against the Scheduled Tribe community members at the Ponda police station.
The public meeting was organised to protest this land grabbing and meeting was also attended by environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar.
The meeting was organised by Bokadbag Dahajan Samaj Sangarsha Samithi (BDSSS).
The meeting passed a resolution to lead movement and agitation against illegal grabbing of land belonging to ST community at Bokadbag.
Addressing the media, environmentalist Kerkar, who inspected the land at Bokadbag, said, “This is a fertile, eco-sensitive land and can be protected under Biodiversity Act and other various other laws.”
He said that the people will have to fight a legal and social battle to protect their land.
He said that to make their case strong in the court, locals should conduct documentation, videography, survey of their land, thick canopy of jungle trees, hills, variety of trees, birds, bagayats, hills, water springs, fertile paddy fields.
“Even if a single construction is allowed on the hill, it will start destroying nature and will pollute the clean water source of springs and lakes,” Kerkar said.
