MUMBAI, Feb. 17 -- The long-running battle over rehabilitation inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) has intensified after the park authorities identified 16,478 families as eligible for housing under its latest survey, even as sections of the adivasi community accused officials of harassment and deliberate attempts to "confuse" residents. The survey, conducted by M/s Grant Thornton Bharat LLP between January 2025 and early February, is the fifth such exercise to enumerate families living within the protected forest. According to officials, the exercise was aimed at identifying residents who can prove they were living inside the park prior to January 1, 1995, the cut-off date for rehabilitation eligibility Kiran Patil, deputy director (South) of SGNP, said the survey found 16,478 families meeting the eligibility criteria. However, the figure falls short of the park's internal estimate of over 23,000 families residing within its boundaries. "Many residents refused to cooperate with the surveyors and failed to provide documentation," Patil said. Officials said this is the "last opportunity" for eligible residents to claim rehabilitation housing. The list of identified families has been uploaded on the state forest department's website and displayed at the SGNP deputy director's office and park notice boards. The survey agency, Patil added, has previously been associated with the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY)....