Residents who were relocated to Chandivali from within the boundaries of Sanjay Gandhi National Park have been found to have encroached once again into the national park area. The Sanjay Gandhi National Park administration has issued notices to these residents and has decided to initiate action against the unauthorized constructions starting from 27 January.
In 1997, the High Court directed the government to resettle residents living within the national park elsewhere. Accordingly, encroachments were removed and flats were provided to around 11,000 residents in Chandivali in 2008. However, due to technical difficulties, the remaining 13,000 residents could not be accommodated at that time and continued to live illegally in the same area.
A few years ago, an NGO filed a petition in court citing non-compliance with the court’s orders. Following this, a high-level committee was constituted in October 2025 to address the issue, with monthly reviews of the matter. During these reviews, it was found that some residents who had been rehabilitated in Chandivali had once again encroached upon the national park boundaries.
Investigations revealed that some residents had sold their allotted houses in Chandivali, while others had rented them out and returned to construct illegal structures within the national park area. Taking note of this, the court directed the government to immediately remove the unauthorized constructions. At present, around 350 illegal structures have been identified in Borivali. Additionally, individuals who sold or rented out rehabilitated houses in Malad, Dahisar, and Thane are also living illegally within the park limits.
Eviction action against unauthorized constructions within the boundaries of Sanjay Gandhi National Park will begin on January 27. On Wednesday, affected residents staged a protest outside the national park, demanding that no action be taken. They also submitted a memorandum outlining their demands to the park administration.
Meanwhile, the process of providing housing to the remaining eligible residents is ongoing, and the matter remains sub judice. Forest department officials stated that the next decision in the case will be taken on February 3.
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