The Maharashtra Government has announced a policy to rehabilitate tribal families and approximately 25,000 slum dwellers residing within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai, Deputy Chief Minister (CM) Eknath Shinde said in the state assembly on Monday. The move is expected to free up a significant portion of the park for conservation.

Speaking in the Assembly, Shinde noted that many settlements in the park currently fall within the ‘No Development Zone (NDZ)’, and courts have ordered the clearing of these areas. However, relocating residents to distant locations may not elicit the desired response from local inhabitants. To address this, the government has studied various options and drafted a new rehabilitation policy.