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Balaji temple in CRZ 1, greens SOS to Centre, CM
The inspection team compared the spot with satellite maps prepared by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application centres (MRSAC), Navi Mumbai Mangrove Cell Round Officer Bapu Gadade said in his report
ULWE
With an official report confirming that the Tirupati Balaji temple replica is coming up on an intertidal wetland at Ulwe, a CRZ1 area in Navi Mumbai, environmentalists have appealed to the Centre and the State Government to revoke the permission for the project.
“We have no objection whatsoever to the temple for which an alternative plot should be allotted,” NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said.
NatConnect had earlier complained to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) when CIDCO allotted 10 acres from a casting yard area of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) claiming it has been built after burying a mangrove zone and an intertidal wetland. Ideally, the wetland should have been restored but CIDCO allotted it to the temple project, Kumar said.
MOEFCC had directed the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to examine the complaint and report. MCZMA, however, gave the CRZ permission in a hurriedly convened meeting on May 23 the report of which is yet to be uploaded on the Authority’s website say greens.
CM Eknath Shinde, who had earlier cancelled the Bhoomi puja for the temple in August last year, performed it in June this year following the CRZ nod.
Now, thanks to the inspection as directed by the Centre, the Mangrove Cell has confirmed the greens’ fears
The inspection team compared the spot with satellite maps prepared by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application centres (MRSAC), Navi Mumbai Mangrove Cell Round Officer Bapu Gadade said in his report. He confirmed that the temple plot was earlier a wetland on which landfill was done.
Gadade told HT, “We found that creek water would be present in the area and there were fishing ponds here earlier that were used by the locals. Debris from the highway work being carried out nearby was later dumped here for landfilling.”\
He added, “The primary work of Balaji temple is being carried out on this landfilled land. There is also a kuchcha road from the plot which leads to mangroves area, at a distance of 40 to 45 metres.”
Informed Gadade, “We have submitted our report. It is not for us to take any action as the area belongs to CIDCO. It is for them to take any action.”
Greens say this yet another case of clear cut violation of the Bombay High Court order to transfer all mangroves to the forest department for conservation.
Nandakumar Pawar, head of Sagarshakti, said, “The local fishing community which has been using the area to enter the creek was prevented by the L&T casting yard for the past four to five years. The community was hopeful of getting back the facility now that the casting yard work is over, but shockingly the same plot was allotted for the Balaji temple.”
He stated, “CIDCO cannot claim that it is a CRZ1 area by pushing the high tide line into the creek.”
This latest development clearly demonstrates CIDCO’s lack of respect for the environment as the planning agency has allotted mangrove and wetland areas for other projects as well. It is really unfortunate and sad that the government owned agency is blatantly violating all environment norms, Pawar added.
CIDCO did not respond on the issue.