A 37-year-old woman along with her family were left in tears and without shelter after officials from the Archaeological Department and Forest Department demolished her only home at Sinhagad Fort on May 29. Interestingly, she claimed that the home was constructed under the Central scheme of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
The anti-encroachment operation, which took place between May 29 to June 4, saw several structures razed at the historic fort. Officials, citing heritage protection norms, manually dismantled RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete) homes. However, the victim claimed she is illiterate and was not aware of the notice.
We Served Sinhagad Fort For Generations
Speaking to Free Press Journal, Savita Gaikwad (victim) narrated her whole story. Gaikwad said, we belong to the Adivasi Mahadev Koli community. It is our seventh generation at the fort. Our ancestors were deployed as "Pahredar" in the Maratha Kingdom. In 2016, the government helped under the Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana scheme to construct our home at the fort. It was clearly mentioned on the wall but the archaeological officials did not verify any documents. We have all documents regarding the land (one guntha). It was our first concrete home. Till yet we were living in a hut and mud house."
She added, "Serving Nimbu-Pani to the tourists is the only mode of our survival. In the monsoon season, the administration demolished our home and left us homeless. We are forced to suffer the heavy rain. Leaving this land, we have no other place to stay. It was the only home for me and our family. Now where to go? All domestic materials are lying in the open space and are damaged due to rain. I want my home back as it was. I request the government to rebuild at the same place and give justice to us. Our ancestors have devoted their whole life to this fort despite the administration leaving us homeless."
'My wife's eyes are swollen from days of crying'
Sanjay Dattatrey Gaikwad (her husband) said, "Only Rs 1.2 lakh we got under the scheme. I borrowed money from friends and took an additional loan for a total of Rs 5 lakh to build this house under a government scheme. It was not illegal. It was my only roof, and now I have nothing.
My wife's eyes are swollen from days of crying and sleepless nights under the open sky."
"Even during monsoon, the authorities did not stop. No rehabilitation, no alternate shelter, they just broke our home," he added.
"We will talk to the collector for the substitute shelter near the fort"
Vilas Wahane, Assistant Director, Archaeological Department of Pune Division, speaking to FPJ, said, "We have notified the Gaikwad family and they have not taken a No Objection Certificate from the Archaeological Department, leading to the demolition of their house under the anti-encroachment drive." Moreover, Wahane claimed the Gaikwad house was built under another scheme, not under PMAY. "However, we will talk to the collector for the substitute shelter near the fort," he added.
Shockingly, the photos of Gaikwad's house before demolition proved that her house was built under PMAY. The family, now sheltering under a plastic sheet amid heavy rainfall, is still waiting for someone from the administration to even acknowledge her existence, let alone offer compensation or assistance.
MLA Bhimrao Tapkir, speaking to Free Press Journal, said, "This is totally inhumanity and an anti-encroachment squad could not demolish the home constructed under Pradhanmantri Awas Yojana. Without verification of documents, the government does not clear the finances to build a home. We will definitely talk to the Pune Collector regarding the matter. And strict action will be taken against the responsible one."
