Bombay HC Forms Task Force For Thane Creek Bridge III Compensation

The Bombay High Court has formed a task force to determine the compensation for fisherfolk families affected by the Thane Creek Bridge-III construction.

The court expects the compensation to be in line with the Maharashtra state government's policy for project-affected fishers. The task force has six months to complete this exercise.

The court found a report by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) to be unscientific, as it lacked a proper model or objective criteria to assess the impact on fisherfolk. The report recommended approximately Rs.141 crore in compensation, which the court deemed disproportionate to the project's total cost of Rs.500 crore.

The judgement was in response to petitions filed by fisherfolk from Vashi, Juhu, Koparkhairane, Ghansoli, and Diva, who claimed their customary right to fish was affected by the construction.

The task force will now assess the damage and determine fair compensation for the affected fishers.