BMC, govt to inspect Kanjur marg mangroves after HC order
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state government will conduct a joint inspection of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground on Monday to probe whether mangroves within its periphery are endangered.
Officials from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and state government will conduct a joint inspection of the Kanjurmarg dumping ground on Monday to probe whether mangroves within its periphery are endangered.
In July, a division bench of justice DD Sinha and justice VK Tahilramani had ordered the inspection.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Jadgish Gandhi, a local activist who had sought the inspection of the dumping ground claiming that two large stretches of mangroves were endangered. The plea said the dumping of waste could have blocked seawater from entering the coastal area where mangroves grow, which could endanger their survival.
Last week, Gandhi received a letter from the civic body confirming the inspection. “It is important to find out whether the civic body is violating environmental norms,” said Gandhi.
Since the landfill opened in March, there has been a four-fold increase in the amount of waste being dumped at the site daily — from 500 metric tonnes to 2,000 metric tonnes. The BMC has now reduced the intake of waste to 1,000 metric tonnes.
“Our executive engineer will be present at the inspection to inform the petitioner,” said Shekhar Chitale, chief enginner, solid waste management department, BMC.