People having their structures at Katem-Baina, making their ends meet has been their biggest daily challenge. They touched base with politics, or rather politics touched base with them only during elections.
That is when leaders would come to them, making tall promises. In the process some gutters would be cleaned and some footpaths would be built and called “development”.
After the elections, life returned to “normal”, their normal struggle that is.
Though in name of development their elected leader might clean some gutters, build footpaths and calls it as development.
This is what we felt was development for us until the issue of our structures was raised in the year 2006-07. They found the Councillor Milind Naik as their messiah who promised that he would not allow anyone to even touch their structures, forget about demolition. This message pumped enough confidence in the minds of Katem-Baina people.
“It was about 7.30 to 8 pm when I attended my first political close door meeting in our area held at BJP supporter Iqbal Chikkodi’s house in the 2007 assembly polls. I saw Milind Naik taking to them about their structures and promising us that no matter what happens, he will not allow anyone to even touch our houses and everybody present in the meeting felt that our new messiah will always stand by us all the time, but we never knew what was there in our destiny,” said Parshram Makdum, a 28-year-old resident of Katem-Baina, working as supervisor in a private company.
People still recall the day when Naik openly came in support of people protesting against the shifting of Khariwado fishing jetty to Katem-Baina proposed by MPT. Even the break water project of MPT at Baina was opposed tooth and nail by Naik.
“Due to this very reason majority of us supported Naik and got him elected but Naik has suddenly changed and is now the man who is behind the move to demolish our houses citing helplessness with CRZ rules as if CRZ applies only for Baina and not elsewhere in state,” said a local resident who wished not to be named in fear of getting targeted.
For these residents, they never opposed the four-lane project or even the Baina beautification, what they only said that they have been residing at Katem-Baina since last several decades and have invested all their earnings,
“The state government managed to rehabilitate the people who lost their houses during the Tariwada landslides. They can also provide us rehabilitation, but we feel that the intention behind removing us from Katem-Baina is something else and not only development,” said another local resident, a driver by profession and was strong supporter of Naik in past.
Surprisingly prior to the topic of demolition, all these residents were like one united force. Now there are three different groups fighting to protect their structures.
One group consists of 61 odd fishermen who have approached the High Court fighting for relief. The second group is of 10 Private property owners who have approached NGT, and the third group is of 31 families who have filed a separate appeal before HC. They are those who are involved directly or indirectly in fishing operations or are labourers.
But on the banks of the ocean at Katem Baina, hopes are receding as tides do and the feeling of betrayal envelops them like a rising wave.
