‘Lost our child, will lose home now': Mother of boat tragedy victim after Vadodara slum receives encroachment notice
Among the 147 houses of a clustered settlement around the Raja Rani lake in Vadodara's Panigate area, which were served notice earlier this month for removal of encroachment, is one belonging to the family of Roshni Shinde, who was among the 12 students who, along with two teachers, were killed in the January 2024 Harni boat capsize.
The notice comes a few days after Roshni's mother, Sarla, interrupted Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's speech at an event in Vadodara on May 2, even though leaders of the ruling BJP and officials of the district administration maintain that the process for removal of encroachment had begun in 2024.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Sarla, who had been questioned by the Vadodara City Detection of crime branch after she interrupted the CM's speech on May 2, said that the notice was served as a 'punishment for asking questions'. Sarla said, 'The notice was served immediately after we tried to meet the Chief Minister… What else could be the reason? The settlement has been here for 50 years and the government has decided to act now. We are families who survive on daily wages. Where will we go? Not only have we lost our child but we will also lose our home now, all for the ego of the government that was hurt because we asked for justice.'
The notice, dated May 7, served to the family by the Mamlatdar of Vadodara City (East), and issued in the name of Roshni's grandmother Sushila Shinde, stated, '… you have been living in an illegal construction and encroached-upon government land… The notice is being served to you after an inquiry as per the Land Revenue Code… you or your representative must appear with sufficient documentary evidence at the Mamlatdar office at 3pm on May 19 to explain why penal action should not be initiated against you…'
Officials of the district administration state that the fresh notice comes a few months after the first one served in December last year when the area was identified for an encroachment-removal drive. Speaking on condition of anonymity, an official said, 'It is not true that the notice has been served (only) to the victim's family. It is a coincidence that they reside in an area that is an encroached government land that needs to be reclaimed.'
The notice has been served to about 147 houses of the settlement around the Raja Rani Talav — which is among a few spots in the city that are in line for a demolition as part of the slum-free city drive of the state government.
Following the demolitions around Chandola Lake in Ahmedabad on April 28, Vadodara MP Hemang Joshi had also sought similar action in the city at various places, including the twin lakes of Raja Rani and Ajab lake that are separated by a 10-feet wide bridge and surrounded by slums.
The notice served to the locality, where the Shindes reside, has particularly raised eyebrows as it comes a day after suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, VMC corporator Ashish Joshi, received a notice from the District Collector and District Magistrate of Vadodara to appear for a hearing in an alleged case of land grabbing in the Danteshwar area of the city where he resides. The former BJP leader, who has been leading the cause of the victims of the Harni boat tragedy, has been named as a respondent in the notice under the Gujarat Land Grabbing (Prohibition) Act, 2020, along with 19 others.
MP Joshi, who had put up a social media post on April 29 seeking Chandola-lake like action in Vadodara city, told this newspaper on Friday that the notice of the revenue department is not connected to the incident of May 2.
The BJP leader said, 'There are 14 victims of the Harni boat tragedy and (kin of) two had interrupted the CM on that day. Why will only one family receive notice… ? If they are not illegal citizens and not involved in any criminal activities, the government is sensitive about the well-being of the people… it is a big vision of the Prime Minister to allot homes under the Pradhan Mantri and Mukhyamantri housing projects. These people will be rehabilitated suitably but at this moment, I cannot comment on the operational part of the procedure. The corporation will step in to oversee the rehabilitation when it happens.'
The Parliamentarian said the process to de-clutter slum pockets from lakeside areas in the city had been initiated much earlier than the May 2 incident. Stating that the two women who came to the event on May 2 had not even introduced themselves as kin of Harni victims, the leader said, 'If one sees the entire communication of the CM's event, the two women first spoke about the housing scheme projects and gas connection issues. That is why the CM reacted the way he did because he did not know that they were victims. The issue was much politicised…'
At the event, Patel had said the women were there 'with a special agenda'. Later, though, he granted them a hearing.
According to officials, the government land on which the Raja-Rani lake slum settlement stands is important as the main feeder line of the city's water supply from Ajwa Reservoir runs underground here. Officials said that the process of reclaiming the land around Raja Rani and Ajab lakes will commence shortly, including eviction and demolition of encroachments.
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