My name is Ekadashi Kaluram Mhatre. I am from Koparkhairane village. I was born in Koparkhairane itself, in 1960. Before CIDCO's arrival, our life was good. We were able to grow rice in fields, catch fishes, grow vegetables. Our life was good. We used to grow vegetables like okra, colocasia, bhaaja. Seafood like crabs, mudskippers, eels, squids could be caught in the creek. We were able to sell those when the catch was big enough. We used to sell such seafoods as squids, eels, tolakaa, mudskippers in the markets. Around every spring tide, we used to go catch clams. Then we used to bury them in one place in the mudflats. And around neap tide, we used to collect those clams in sacks and take them to Thane, Dadar. Lots of people from the neighbourhood used to go sell clams. 

​

This alone was our livelihood - go to the creek, catch whatever seafoods available and use rice from the fields the whole year. For both the meals. For steamed rice as well as bhaakari. This alone was our livelihood. From the time CIDCO took away our land, our families had to suffer starvation endlessly because they landfilled the creeks and dumped murram in our paddy fields. Then there were no fish to catch in the creeks and there was no soil to grow anything. And they even landfilled our kitchen gardens where we used to grow vegetables. They dumped murram in the fields where we used to grow rice. In the very fields where we used to grow rice! 

​

When CIDCO took away our lands, our people took out morchas, urging not to take away our lands. "Our families' survival is dependent on these lands". Then the heavily armed police came and thrashed them. They broke into people's houses and beat them up. Broke their legs. They fired their guns in the air, too. They had beaten up even our kids. CIDCO took away our land by force. No one sold their land. Our land was taken away by CIDCO by force. We were against giving our lands to CIDCO. We did not consent to CIDCO taking away our lands. We opposed but they used violence and took away our lands. Then people had to keep quiet for the fear of the force. Resistance died because people were terrified. People's voice was suppressed because many lost legs and many suffered stone injuries. Then people got terrified. Because what poor people like us could do!

​

CIDCO took away our lands, landfilled them, dumped murram on them and started constructing buildings. Soon the village was surrounded on all sides by those buildings. We suffered a great deal mentally because all we had was that land. No one in our family had a job or anything. In our family, neither my father nor my husband had a job. We used to work as labourers to earn our livelihood. Before CIDCO's arrival our life was good. We used to get a bellyful to eat. Everything was good. After CIDCO arrived, we would get one meal in a day sometimes and other times, not even that. On some days, there would be wages to earn; other days, none.

​

CIDCO had issued notices but we didn't get any notice. Our land was in our grandfather's name, so we didn't get any notice. We never knew anything about those notices. CIDCO took away our land. We used to grow cartfull rice on that land. Till 1980-81, we used to grow cartful rice in our farm. We didn't get notices or anything. We didn't get money. No notice, nothing. We didn't get anything. We haven't received even five paisas till date. We didn't get any plots, we didn't get any money in return for our land.

​

Till late, we continued to survive earning our livelihood as labourers. We haven't received anything from CIDCO. What compensation and what-not CIDCO has given, we have no idea at all. We lost our land but we haven't received anything in return till date. So many  years have passed. After grabbing our land, CIDCO has not provided for our children's education either. Nor have they given any jobs to any of our family members - neither my father, nor my husband. We survived earning our livelihood as labourers.

​

People from our village had told us that we will get a plot [meant for landless people]. Our names etc. were taken too. But nothing has come out of it till date. We had applied. We had given all the documents. We had given all information like which village we belong to, our origins etc. Our signatures were taken. We had filled the form but we haven't received a crumb till date. 

​

I wish to tell our new generation that CIDCO took away our land. They didn't provide for your education. They didn't provide anything. What are we going to do henceforth? Get educated and work for our community!

​

​

Interviewer: Chandrakant Kaluram Mhatre

Date: 8th March, 2024

Place: Koparkhairane

​

NB: The narrator is the interviewer's mother.

​

​

First published: 8th March, 2024

Translation: Chandrakant Kaluram Mhatre