MMRDA, Cidco to hand over 519ha of mangroves to Maharashtra govt

Just two days before World Mangroves Day on July 26, the state forest department’s mangrove cell announced the imminent handover of 519 hectares of mangrove land by the City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for declaration as ‘reserve forest’ under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, pursuant to long-pending directions of the Bombay high court (HC)

Just two days before World Mangroves Day on July 26, the state forest department’s mangrove cell announced the imminent handover of 519 hectares of mangrove land by the City Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for declaration as ‘reserve forest’ under the Indian Forest Act, 1927, pursuant to long-pending directions of the Bombay high court (HC). HC in September 2018, responding to public interest litigation (PIL) by the Bombay Environment Action Group, had ordered that mangrove lands under various government bodies be transferred to the forest department for safekeeping.

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An independent state-level committee comprising the additional chief secretary, revenue, principal secretary, environment department, and forest secretary (which is mandated by the HC to oversee the Konkan divisional commissioner’s compliance with its orders) met on July 13 this month in the presence of secretaries (urban development departments I and II) and representatives of Cidco and MMRDA. The Konkan divisional commissioner is also the head of a separate mangrove committee comprising independent members.

“Cidco has agreed to hand over 219 hectares of mangroves in Panvel and Kamothe, Raigad district, through the collector’s office. The transfer will happen soon. The MMRDA confirmed that it has 300 acres that need to come under protection, mostly in Mumbai suburban district. The specifics of the transfer are being discussed,” said Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF), mangrove cell, speaking at a webinar organised by NGO NatConnect Foundation. A Cidco official said their transfer is likely to happen in the next week itself.

According to a fresh PIL filed by NGO Vanashakti earlier this year after public authorities failed to comply with the HC order, there were about 1,500 hectares of mangroves that had to be transferred to the state government. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC), which also comes under the charge of state environment minister Aadtiya Thackeray, was the first to comply with the HC’s directions in April this year by handing over 466.72 acres of mangroves Manori and Gorai creeks.

This area has been brought under the ambit of Section 20 of the IFS (1927) after all private claims over the land were resolved by a settlement officer. Earlier in June, another 1,036 hectares of mangroves were transferred to the state government in Thane taluka and Mira-Bhayander in Thane district after being notified as a reserve forest in January 2021. APCCF Tiwari confirmed that there are yet another 100 acres in Thane whose “handover is under process”.

The only public authority, to which the HC’s instructions apply and which does not come under the state’s administrative control, is the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), which has to technically hand over 916 hectares of mangroves at the time of the BEAG PIL’s first interim order in 2005. “JNPT has not yet made any commitment on how many mangroves they will be handing over and when” Tiwari confirmed.

Instead of transferring the same 916 hectares land to the mangrove cell, JNPT in a recent affidavit denied any non-compliance with the HC’s instructions and said that the Maharashtra Remote Application Centre (MRSAC) for a fresh demarcation of its mangrove area, which would be transferred after the assessment.

BN Kumar, founder, NGO NatConnect, said, “While it is a positive step, Cidco and MMRDA have conducted their assessment of mangroves which has been accepted by the state. Once demarcated, the identified mangroves will simply be handed over. There should be a separate independent assessment to make sure there are no discrepancies in what the authorities are claiming.”