Pune: Forest department has issued notices to four citizens staying on Sinhagad fort. The notice has asked them to submit a written explanation failing which they will have to vacate their residing properties on immediate basis. The families which have been asked to vacate have been residing there for the past five to six generations.
The concerned families are already facing financial problems since they had to close down their small businesses during the lockdown. Visitors were banned since the lockdown was imposed in March and even though now the tourist places have been opened up, trekkers and tourists are still banned on forts.
The notices have been issued to Amol Padher, Sanjay Gaikwad and two other persons. There are a few families which stay up on the fort including that of Padher and Gaikwad. There are bungalows of Tilak, Agarkar, Apte and Gandhi on the fort. The Zilla Parishad has also constructed a rest house on the fort. While another private hotelier has done a permanent construction and landscaping on the fort. Most of the occupants on the fort have encroached on additional land but they have not been issued any notice by the forest department, local residents claimed.
Local residents also questioned the motive of the forest department citing reasons that several land plots where farm houses have been constructed have the stamp of forest land on their land records. These farm houses are mostly built in Khadakwasla, Donje, Khanapur, Manerwadi, Ghera, Sinhagad, Malkhed and other villages nearby. Forest department has conveniently ignored the encroachments in these villages.
Amol Padher said, “Our five generations have been staying in Sinhagad. We do not have any other place to live. We have all the relevant documents since 1962 to prove our residence. We haven’t fell trees nor have we done any illegal construction. Forest department should not differentiate and take action based on some bias against the poor families.”
Balasaheb Jivde, Forest Officer of Khanapur Forest Division said, “We have sought all documents and say of the families. They have been asked to submit these documents to the Bhamburda Forest Range Officer. If any encroachment has taken place, then action will be taken against the concerned people.”