Thane, Oct 28 (PTI) Thousands of tribals marching towards the Maharashtra secretariat in Mumbai from Thane district to press for various demands have withdrawn the protest after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed officials to expedite measures to address the issues.
Nearly 49,000 people set out for Mumbai from Bhiwandi in Thane on Tuesday afternoon as part of the “Samvidhan Hakk Sangharsh Morcha” led by Shramjeevi Sanghatna founder Vivek Pandit. The demonstrators had arrived from Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and Nashik.
Sanghatna leaders demanded free, high-quality, and skill-oriented education for all tribal students up to the age of 18, alongside the establishment of dedicated educational complexes in every taluka.
Other demands include immediate settlement and clearance of forest rights claims under the Forest Rights Act, supply of clean drinking water across tribal hamlets, among other issues.
A delegation of the Shramjeevi Sanghatana, an organisation working for the rights of tribal communities, met CM Fadnavis, who directed officials to prepare time-bound action plans and expedite measures to address the issues faced by tribal communities, including those related to education, forest rights, rehabilitation, water supply and Aadhaar registration.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Thane Guardian Minister Eknath Shind reached Thane late at night to address the protesters at the Kharigaon toll plaza and inform them about several Government Resolutions (GRs) issued to address their demands.
Shinde remarked that he had never witnessed such a large number of GRs issued in a single day, terming it a victory for the protesters and their leadership.
He handed over copies of the GRs to Pandit, following which the tribals called off the march.
During the meeting earlier on Tuesday, Fadnavis said the Shramjeevi Sanghatana and the Samarthan organisation would be involved in preparing the Viksit Bharat 2047 Vision Document.
Suggestions from various organisations would also be considered while preparing a separate development plan for tribal communities, he said.
A positive decision would be taken after examining the proposal to provide tribal students free and compulsory education up to the age of 18, he said.
The chief minister directed officials to take immediate steps to provide free tuition and adequate scholarships to tribal students, fill vacant posts in Ashram or residential schools, and ensure classrooms, separate toilets for boys and girls, and sports facilities in Zilla Parishad schools.
A special campaign will be conducted till December 15 to settle eligible claims under the Forest Rights Act. Fadnavis directed officials to ensure that all eligible individual and community claims approved by village-level committees are settled and no claim remains pending. PTI COR GK
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