Koliwadas say low catch, soaring diesel prices are factors in poll

A ballot box deployed for use in the city's Koliwadas would, like their boats, throw up a mixed bag of big and small fry. Mumbai's Kolis seldom vote as a single bloc. Some prefer the Marathi-led Shiv Sena or MNS, others NCP, with old loyalists sticking to Congress and new nationalists now exploring the BJP.

The split in Shiv Sena and NCP will test the waters across Maharashtra's 720 km coastline during the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

Vast Koli settlements in Andheri Versova, Khar Danda, Worli, Madh, Colaba, Vasai and Satpati face common concerns. Educated young men and women are leaving the occupation. Fishing is a diminishing trade thanks to the high cost of diesel used to fuel boats. The catch is vastly depleted owing to polluted waters and overfishing, the use of purse seine nets and LED lights. Infrastructure projects like the Coastal Road have driven another nail to the coffin of their dying trade, they say. The Kolis uniformly feel that govts do not consult them or take them into confidence over issues that put their livelihood at stake.

Despite their consistent participation in polls, the 15,000 Kolis from Khar Danda feel disillusioned by the lack of impact elections have had on their lives.

"Govt initiatives overlook our needs, with projects like the coastal road that are detrimental to our livelihoods," says Ratnadeep Bane, chairman of the Vyavasik Sahakari Sanstha. He feels the project has decimated shore fishing, leading to a 50% decline in business and made navigation for deep-sea fishing boats challenging.

The community conducted a joint survey with government departments and local stakeholders - MSRDC, Fisheries Department, Maritime Board, Mangrove Cell, and Kolis from Chimbai, Parmeshwari, Juhu Morgaon and Khar Danda. Bane says, "The construction of a roundabout for the coastal road, with six or seven pillars, is planned in the area that currently serves as a parking spot for our boats. How will we navigate our boats out to sea." The community made suggestions and proposed dredging the adjacent area to create a new parking spot, but their plea was declined citing permission issues.

Bane recounts how the Bandra Worli Sea Link had led to a "six-year disappearance of fish near the shore".

"This area is where we catch most of our fish. The quantity of fish we catch near the shore is not replicable with deep-sea fishing," says Mahesh Peda, 48, member of the Danda Koli Samaj and Gaothan.

Cyclone Tauktae in 2021 damaged 15-20 boats worth Rs 7 lakh each, with repair costs reaching Rs 2 lakh. "We received compensation of a mere Rs 25,000 for fully damaged boats and Rs 10,000 for partially damaged ones," they say.

Catch is depleting fast. "Plastic waste from canals and creeks gets entangled in our nets, obstructing water flow and causing nets to tear," adds Deepak Nanaposhe, 42.

Bane says, "The illegal use of banned purse seine nets by 'LED fishers' from Alibaug and Raigad is another issue. They use high-power LED lamps to catch large quantities of fish in a single day, including baby fish, that equals our catch over three months."

"Every election, they (politicians) come to us, promising improvement. We optimistically vote in full force on election day. But after the candidate wins, we don't see them before the next elections," they say.

Perhaps the largest Koli settlement in Mumbai is Versova whose fish is sold on site, and in Andheri municipal market. Most youngsters are giving up the trade as the catch is low.

Young Ganesh Dawne explains, "A single fishing trip lasting one week costs around Rs 2.5 lakh or Rs 3 lakh. And this is your average boat with seven or eight labourers whose owner has to pay wages, cost of food, and diesel, which is exorbitant at Rs 95 per litre. Yet there is no certainty of a good catch. Why will the young generation take financial risks in such perilous times? It is better to take up a salaried job or start a small business." Dawne himself works in a stockbroking firm.

Ice factory secretary Nikesh Davne, 33, says business is down to a tenth. "Lack of proper diesel subsidy is harming us. A fisherman's savings is (subsidised) diesel. We are entitled to a rebate of around Rs 15 per litre but the allocation arrives late. We are only now receiving our subsidy for 2022. How can Kolis spend lakhs of rupees on diesel out of their own pockets?"

Community leader Pradip Tapke says, "Versova's Kolis participated actively in India's freedom struggle. Around 100 people went to prison for heeding Gandhiji's call during the Quit India Movement of 1942. We are beset by low catch , largely due to untreated effluents being released into Versova creek by factories.