We have not encroached on the park. Among those who testified before the committee was former prime minister V.P. Singh, who has launched a national campaign against eviction of slum dwellers from public land. Singh has participated in several protest marches and sit-ins organized by the slum dwellers over the past few months. Members of the Warli tribe living in the area eke out a living by selling firewood or by growing vegetables on small clearings. However, government officials and the forest department hold them responsible for the illegal felling of trees and hunting of animals.
Today there is nothing to distinguish a tribal from a non-tribal.
They work in the city like everyone else and return to the park at night. The authorities are trying to evict all squatters, tribals and other people, who have built shacks along the park's boundaries and settle them elsewhere. But human rights activists allege that less than 5,000 of the 33,000 people living in the park would be eligible for alternative accommodation. In all 300 acres have been cleared so far and 100 more acres remain. Acting on public interest petitions, the Bombay High Court had ordered a boundary wall to be built at several spots along the park.