Maharashtra elections 2024: Villages cut off from mainland Mumbai issue NOTA threat

The railway track that spans the Vaitarna river, connecting Wadhiv island and the mainland (left) Sunita Sapne, a Wadhiv resident, who says they need a bridge more than handouts. Pics/Hanif Patel

Villagers ‘marooned' on Wadhiv island between Vaitarna and Safale in Palghar district have unanimously decided to push the NOTA (None of the Above) button in protest against all politicians. Nearly 4,000 people reside in the island's hamlets of Wadhiv and Vaitypada, which fall under the Boisar Assembly constituency, but apart from a dangerous railway track, there is no connection to the mainland.

Despite mid-day highlighting the villagers' plight for years, no initiative has been taken to alleviate situation. With the state Assembly election nearing, the demand for connectivity gained momentum and the aggrieved villagers have accused all political parties of ignoring their plight. Women from the village have expressed concern about challenges the community faces, notably the lack of marriage proposals for young and eligible bachelors on the island.

The railway track that spans the Vaitarna River, connecting Wadhiv island and the mainland. Pics/Hanif Patel

"There's nothing on this island. We are forced to constantly live in crisis, struggling with basic needs like medical care and education. At a time when the government claims India has reached the moon, should we assume that our plight is being deliberately ignored? Do we not deserve a better life?" said Leelavati Suhas Patil, a resident of Wadhiv village.

Marriage woes

The island's bachelors are increasingly turning to love marriages, as opportunities for arranged marriages are virtually non-existent. "Nobody is ready to marry women from the island as its lacks facilities. Men have started to date and marry colleagues who hail from Boisar, Palghar, Virar and other places," said Umesh Meher, an islander. Deputy Sarpanch Vinayak Patil said, "More than 25 men tied the knot with women whom they came to love in the past two years."

Earlier, men and women were married in the same village, but since the situation started deteriorating, young women started to protest and express a desire to leave the island. Even a few families have abandoned their properties on the island to settle in nearby areas in Virar, Safale or Vaitarna, said villagers, adding, "The elderly people at the village are not happy with love marriage culture but they have no other option than to accept daughters-in-law from different places."

The women voters have also strongly criticised the state government's ambitious ‘Ladki Bahin Yojana,' a scheme intended to support women. They argue that while the government focuses on such initiatives, it fails to address the basic issue of connecting their island village to the mainland. In a show of defiance, the women have stated that instead of accepting the scheme's offer of R1,500, they would be willing to contribute R2,000 to fund a proper connection to the mainland.

Consequences of isolation

"We do not have a problem with the Ladki Bahin scheme, but our island is utterly disconnected. You [state government] are offering us R1,500. We will give you this amount plus an extra Rs 500 to make a connector for us. We are reeling under a huge crisis. Our children are not getting married. People say that there is no road connected to the village and no facilities. So, people are not ready to marry their daughters in this village. Also, our relatives are not willing to come to meet us," said Sunita Sapne.

Nearly 4,000 people reside in the island's hamlets of Wadhiv and Vaitypada, which fall under the Boisar Assembly constituency

"So, I would request all the political parties to connect us to the mainland. We feel completely isolated because patients are carried in bedsheets like a ‘doli' and we have to cover a dangerous stretch of railway track [over the Vaitarna river]. Many pregnant women have delivered their babies en route to the hospital because ambulances cannot come here," she said.

Many villages have also lost their lives while crossing a dangerous 400-m stretch of railway track. The absence of proper transport options has had far-reaching consequences for the community, exacerbating both social and economic isolation.

‘Requests were denied'

Vinayak Patil, the deputy sarpanch, said, "Political parties only make false promises during elections. The previous MLA, Vilas Tare, who is contesting on a Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) ticket, never visited our village. So, we are now planning to press NOTA button in this election." "Several crores have been spent to make the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, which passes near the island. We had demanded access to this expressway, but our requests were denied," he said.

Since there is no transportation facility, the villagers reach the station on motorcycles. A few motorcyclists were also seen dangerously riding their vehicles between the railway tracks being constructed for the Direct Freight Corridor (DFC). "Today, the villagers are using the railway tracks of DFC to reach Vaitarna station but once the DFC is operational, people could fall into the river or be run over by train," said Umesh Meher.

No four-wheelers in sight

Kishore Bhagat, a resident of Vaitypada, said, "This is the only village in Palghar district where not a single person has a four-wheeler not only because of the zero connectivity but also because the internal roads are bad in shape. The maximum width of the road in this village is hardly eight feet. Also, there is no petrol pump. We have to get bottles filled up at fuel stations in Virar or Palghar to refuel our motorcycles. The condition is extremely bad."

"So, we have planned to press the NOTA button this time, because no political parties have addressed our issues," he added. The villagers are now calling for a solution that will bring lasting change and improve their quality of life. There are nearly 35 students at the primary school in Wadhiv village. All attend classes in one room because another room is dilapidated and the walls are dangerously cracked. Even the toilets and hand washing centres are in bad shape because of the lack of proper maintenance.

Those admitted to schools in Virar, Boisar or Palghar do not wish to go to school every day because they have to walk nearly three kilometres to reach Vaitarna station. A girl student said that there was no street lamp in the village. "I study in Vaitarna station and it takes me around an hour to walk…since there is no street lamp on the road in the village, I feel scared while coming back at night. The internal road at my village is also in bad shape," she said.

Many villagers said that the stretch between Vaitarna station and their villages is extremely dangerous, especially during monsoon as the island is infested with venomous snakes. "Snake-bite cases are very common but anti-venom is not administered here as we are afraid of its after effects," said a medical staff, who was present at the village when mid-day team visited the island.

Neta Speak

"We have put a proposal before Union minister Nitin Gadkari to connect this island to the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway so that the villagers can get linked to the mainland. The decision is yet to be taken by the Central minister," said Boisar MLA Rajesh Patil, a member of the Bahujan Vikas Aaghadi.

In the 2019 Assembly, Patil secured 78,703 votes, defeating two-time Boisar MLA Vilas Tare of the Shiv Sena by a margin of 2,752 votes. Tare, who is contesting the upcoming election on a Shinde Sena ticket, told mid-day, "The upcoming Coastal Road connecting Dahisar to the Gujarat border will be passing through the island. At present, residents use the railway tracks to reach the Vaitarna station."

Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Dr Viswas Valvi said, "I know many people have died in rail accidents as Wadhiv island is completely isolated. One railway track is being constructed and the MLA and MP should have worked to put a proposal to make a road along this track." "I deeply understand the pain of residents and if voted to power, I will surely do something for this island," he added.

2,752 votes
Winning margin of BVA candidate Rajesh Patil in the Boisar constituency in 2019

4,000
No of residents threatening to choose NOTA in the 2024 election