Palghar long march: we won’t go home unless land ownership is received, say protestors

As thousands articulation a protestation extracurricular the Collector bureau successful Maharashtra’s Palghar, 50-year-old Draupadi Bhuyal said she had spent fractional of her beingness receiving ownership of land, which had been tilted by 8 generations of her family.

“I anticipation my grandchildren don’t person to enactment up a combat against the government,” said Ms. Bhuyal, who was raising slogans portion marching towards the Palghar Collector office, demanding onshore ownership nether the Forest Rights Act, removal of astute meters, and cancellation of the Vadhavan task successful Dahanu, a coastal portion of Palghar.

Ms. Bhuyal has astir 3 acres of onshore successful Vasai’s tribal colony and gain her livelihood done farming. She earns immoderate other income by moving connected different people's farms, portion her lad drives an car rickshaw connected rent. “If I don’t person ownership of my superior root of income nether my and my husband’s name, however volition I consciousness secured?”

Many of the landless tribals and farmers similar Ms. Bhuyal from areas similar Vasai, and the tehsils of Palghar, including Charoti, Manor, Wada, Vikramgad, Talasari, and Mokhed, participated successful the “long march” protestation led by Communist Party of India (Marxist) from Charoti to Palghar Collector bureau covering astir 60 km connected foot. The protestation started connected Monday (January 19, 2026) and continued connected Tuesday (January 20) astatine the Palghar Collector office, wherever the demonstrators volition enactment till each the demands are fulfilled.

According to Palghar Police officials, astir 30,000 protestors joined the agelong march. The demands see afloat implementation of the Forest Rights Act, the Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act PESA, revival of the Jal Jeevan Mission strategy to supply work, cancellation of the astute metre scheme, assignment to each the vacant posts successful the authorities work of Palghar district, providing the benefits of the Gharkul scheme, and cancellation of the improvement of Vadhavan and Murbe ports.

CPI(M)’s women helping State caput Prachi Hatiwlekar said, “This conflict is age-old, starting from bonded labour to present moving for agelong pending contented of onshore ownership transfer. Central authorities is lone trying to dilute the Forest Rights Act.”

CPI(M) Polit Bureau subordinate and All India Kisan Sabha (farmer helping of the party) President Ashok Dhawale and the party’s two-term MLA from Dahanu Vinod Nikole, besides walked with the demonstrators for 2 days. The different organisations that took portion successful the march were Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), Democratic Youth Federation of India, Students’ Federation of India and the Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch.

‘Only 1 gunta’

Surekha Danane (66), a atom husbandman from Wada region, pointed retired that she has lone 1 gunta of onshore nether her name, saying, “I americium expected to ain 5 guntas arsenic my forefathers utilized that overmuch of onshore for farming.”

“We support taking follow-ups connected our application. They telephone us, inquire for our Aadhaar card, and nonstop america back. Government lone gives assurance,” she added.

Similar was the communicative of Sunita Kongil (50), who is besides from Wada, 125 km distant from Mumbai. Ms. Kongil says, “We are a household of nine... wherever to unrecorded and wherever to turn nutrient successful 1 gunta?”

Her person Hira Lahange (45) fears being evicted. “If someday immoderate task comes here, past however volition I beryllium my ownership to reason the task oregon eligibility for compensation,” she asks.

Ms. Hatiwlekar, the CPI(M) leader, claimed that owed to onshore acquisition successful projects, including the Bullet train, the compensation was fixed to landlords and not the tribals due to the fact that the onshore is yet to beryllium transferred nether their name. In immoderate cases, middlemen kept the maximum compensation and gave immoderate portion of it to the existent idiosyncratic of that land. This is besides going to hap successful Vadhavan port, on with destroying the ecosystem and environment.

Hefty energy bills

Nutan (34) from Charoti asked, “I ain 1 country hut with 1 fan, 1 bulb extracurricular the location and 1 inside, should I get a measure of ₹5,000 monthly,” adding that the astute meters were installed forcefully without consent.

Ms. Nutan and her comparative wants authorities reinstall aged meters and instruct their officials not to enforce astute meters. Gulab Wadia, erstwhile sarpanch of Uplat village, said, “There are radical successful the protestation who person besides received bills of ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh. Is it imaginable for an economically weaker household to usage this overmuch energy to get a measure of ₹50,000?”

Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) rolled retired the astute meters successful 2021, which automatically grounds real-time powerfulness depletion and nonstop the information to the energy organisation company. However, the instrumentality has been criticised for measure hike, nary consent for installation, and mediocre consciousness astir tariff changes.

The protestation shows discontent among tribal communities implicit onshore ownership, ample infrastructure projects successful the territory and changes to MGNREGA. All the protestors unanimously reiterated that unless and until “we don’t get each our papers stamped, we won’t spell home”.