CCTV cameras protecting mangroves in Navi Mumbai uprooted for road widening project in Vashi

In an effort to protect the mangroves, the Navi Mumbai forest department had installed two CCTV cameras along the Sion-Panvel Highway in Vashi in 2018; both the cameras were recently removed as the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has started widening the highway in that area

In an effort to protect the mangroves, the forest department had installed two CCTV cameras along the Sion-Panvel highway in Vashi in 2018. Both the cameras were recently removed as the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has started widening the highway in that area.

A CCTV camera meant for protecting mangroves in Navi Mumbai is uprooted by MSRDC for its road widening project in Vashi. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

Illegal dumping of debris had severely affected the mangroves in the said area over the past two decades.

DS Kukare, range forest officer (RFO) of the Navi Mumbai mangrove cell, said, “Unidentified culprits would carry debris from different places of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai and illegally dump there at night. They chose that deserted place for that purpose as there used to be no one to check on them. Taking the gravity of the issue into consideration, we installed two CCTV cameras there in December 2018. The number of debris dumping cases had drastically reduced after the installation of the cameras.”

A senior MSRDC official said, “The CCTV cameras were installed very close to the highway. As we are now widening the entire stretch, we had to remove the cameras so that our people could carry out their work without any hindrance. We have also informed the forest department about it, and they will take the future course of action on this.”

When asked about their next course of action, Kukare said that they have decided to develop a 600m-long concrete wall for protecting the mangroves in that area.

“The plan of developing the wall has recently been approved by our higher authorities and the work at the site will be started within a few days. We are spending around ₹95 lakh on that project. Once the wall is ready, it will not be possible for anyone to cross it and dump debris on the other side. Even after that if we feel the need, we will install CCTV cameras there at a later stage,” he said.

According to the state mangrove cell, there are 1,471 hectare of mangrove forests in the government-owned land in Navi Mumbai that are protected by the law.