Apart from the demand for ownership of land, they highlighted the need to keep the buffer zone of the coastline intact.Biz halved in last 20 yrs: fisherfolkThe Palghar-based fishing community has protested against the pollution of coastal areas due to discharge of sewage and chemical waste from industrial units, which adversely impacts its business. Vasai fishermen stated that since they are the original inhabitants of Mumbai and its suburban areas, they have right over their land.The community fears that since Koliwadas were not demarcated in the CZMP map, they could be  treated as slum dwellers and their habitations would come under SRA projects. The MCZMA officials admitted that Palghar and Raigad coasts have deteriorated over time and will be proposing a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) and Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) for the areas.

The fishermen community from Vasai and Dahanu areas of Palghar district have objected to the draft coastal zone management plan (CZMP) maps for Thane and Palghar, which were released in November by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority. "The state environment ministry has suggested that the buffer zone around coastlines should be reduced to 200 meters instead of the existing 500 meters. We have opposed the suggestion," said Dilip Mathak, a fishermen from Vasai."The Koli community has been here for decades, yet there is a feeling of non-confidence among the habitants that the area may also come under SRA due to slum encroachments over the China submersible pump Suppliers years.Fishermen from Vasai do not lay fishing nets at the coastline or in the shallow waters as they struggle to find fish at the coastline. The NGO has compiled all the objections of Kolis while stating that there is also a need to publish the maps in Marathi.  The MCZMA has stated that it would look into the objections of fishermen and the expert panel would take a call on them. The community has claimed that over the last 20 years, their business has decreased by 50 per cent due to the excessive chemical and sewage pollution at the coastline. Vasai fishermen fear that SRA projects will result in dislocation of the inhabitants from their land at the time of the construction and impact their lifestyle with smaller living spaces eventually." said a senior MCZMA official. "The process of demarcating the Koliwadas and providing ownership to the land does not lie with MCZMA, but with district collectors. "It was in 1995 when fish were last found in the shallow waters of Vasai coast. We give security to the Koliwadas that are approved by the collector. Fishermen said that they should have ownership rights to the land where they have been residing from pre-Independence days. It will lead to more private projects and hotels along the coastline.

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