Mumbai, July 2 -- The urban development department (UDD) has decided to modify regulation 34 under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), 2034 for Greater Mumbai to resettle nearly 2,000 tribal families and 25,000 families of encroachers residing within limits of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) on land demarcated as no development zone (NDZ) in Mumbai. On June 30, the department issued a notification regarding the proposed modification, inviting objections and suggestions from citizens within 30 days. The notification, signed by the UDD under secretary Amar Patil, said the state had earlier permitted offices of IT companies on NDZ land and similar consideration would be made for resettling SGNP residents owing to the absence of large, vacant land parcels within the city where they would be rehabilitated. The Bombay high court had in 1997 directed authorities to relocate all slum dwellers living within SGNP limits outside the boundaries of the park, but the state government and forest department have not been able to relocate them owing to political compulsions. According to the forest department, around 2,000 Adivasi families reside in 43 hamlets scattered along the edge of the park. Another 24,951 families have encroached on various parts of the park and are eligible for relocation, the notification issued by the UDD said. The notification stated that the SGNP is considered the green lung of Mumbai and Thane as it provides a wide range of ecosystem services that are vital for the well-being of surrounding urban areas. The green zones around the park are classified as Eco Sensitive Zones, and hence cannot be used to resettle the tribal families and encroachers, it said. According to the notification, a meeting was held under the chairmanship of the chief minister on February 25 this year to discuss issues related to the relocation of concerned families and encroachers. During the meeting, it was suggested that the existing policy on NDZ be modified to make such land available for rehabilitation. A committee had submitted a report to the government, suggesting new provisions could be added to the DCPR 2034 to allow rehabilitation of SGNP encroachers on NDZ land in the city, the notification said. Environmentalist Debi Goenka, who had petitioned the high court regarding encroachments in the SGNP leading to the 1997 court order, said the problem could not be solved by destroying another no development zone. "For over 25 years, the government has done nothing to solve the problem of its own creation," Goenka said....