Greens question haste in CRZ nod for Balaji temple

Environmentalists object to the secretive way the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority sought CRZ clearance for a Rs70 crore ($11m) Tirupati Balaji temple complex in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai, calling for it to be relocated. The land was designated for a casting yard for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, built on mangrove and wetland areas. The casting yard has now been removed, but instead of restoring the mangrove zone, it has been allocated for the temple project. Environmentalists have accused CIDCO, the planning agency, of violating environment norms and ignoring local fishing communities.

NAVI MUMBAI

The land allocated for Balaji temple falls in the inter-tidal wetland, say environmental groups (NatConnection Foundation)

Environmentalists have strongly objected to the `hush-hush’ manner in which the CRZ nod was sought to be obtained for the ₹70-crore Tirupati Balaji temple complex at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai and appealed to the authorities to have it relocated.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) convened a meeting on May 23 with a single-point agenda on the CRZ clearance for the Venkateshwara temple. As the meeting was convened without much notice, some key people skipped it, said NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar.

On NatConnect’s complaint, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Control (MOEFCC) had in August last year asked the MCZMA to check the allegations of violation of CRZ norms and report.

“Even before this inquiry was complete, the Authority went ahead with the meeting. Neither the agenda nor the minutes of the meeting have been posted on the MCZMA website yet,” said Kumar.

A top environment department official said he was on leave and would be able to confirm on Monday.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis are scheduled to attend the Bhumi Pooja of the temple complex at Ulwe on June 7 to which NatConnect objected again. The CM once again asked environment principal secretary Pravin Darde to look into the greens’ concerns.

CIDCO has allotted 10 acres for the temple from a land given to L&T for its casting yard for the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL). The casting yard was built on mangrove and wetland areas, Kumar claimed and argued the mangroves should have been restored after the MTHL work was completed.

“Even now you can see a lot of mangroves and intertidal water around the reclaimed casting yard area,” Kumar said.

NatConnect pointed out in its latest missives to the Centre, the Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh chief minister as well as the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) that CIDCO had allotted the land for a particular purpose, and now that the MTHL work is complete the mangrove zone ought to be restored by removing the block in the free flow of intertidal water.

Nandakumar Pawar, director of NGO Sagarshakti, said the temple project is going to play with the ecologically sensitive area. 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 local 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, Pawar who also heads the Maharashtra unit of the Small-Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union, said.

CIDCO cannot claim that it is a CRZ2 area by pushing the high tide line into the creek, Pawar said.

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 too. It is really unfortunate and sad that the government owned agency is blatantly violating all environment norms, Pawar regretted.

CIDCO refused to comment on the allegations, nor did it comment on the CRZ nod.