As many as 215 fisherfolks across Navi Mumbai,whose livelihood has been affected by the Nhava Sheva-Sewri sea link project of MMRDA, have been compensated with a collective amount of Rs 5.6 crore. The compensation amount has been credited to the bank accounts of the respective PAP (Project Affected Person) beneficiaries, after Belapur MLA Manda Mhatre consistently followed up with the MMRDA authorities for past four years. As a token of appreciation for the efforts taken by MLA Mhatre, the fishing community (Koli) organised her felicitation program on Monday.
MLA Manda Mhatre informed that after MMRDA completed the survey and finalized the list of 215 PAP beneficiaries for the Nhava Sheva-Sewri sea link project, the disbursal of compensation started in August.
The 215 PAPs are from Diwale, Belapur, Sarsole Karawe, Vashi and Airoli. While, 82 fisherfolks were previously compensated their first installment in August, out of the total amount of Rs 3.37 lakh.
Their second installment of remaining Rs 1.34 lakh was recently disbursed to each of them. Whereas, in October, the remaining 132 fisherfolk have been disbursed their entire compensation of Rs 3.37 lakh each.
MLA Mhatre said, “There are several more fisherfolk who have applied for compensation as PAP beneficiaries, but their documentation process is incomplete, which I shall ensure to get completed so that not a single fisherfolk is deprived of his/her right for compensation.
At a recently held program in Vashi the minister of state for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries of India, Parshottam Rupala had said that similar to the government welfare program of giving loans to farmers, loans will be given to fisherfolk.