Notify mangroves as reserved forest: Maharashtra mangroves cell to JNPT

The state mangrove cell has written to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to begin the process of notifying mangrove land in its possession as reserved forest, in compliance with a Bombay high court (HC) order

The state mangrove cell has written to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) to begin the process of notifying mangrove land in its possession as reserved forest, in compliance with a Bombay high court (HC) order.

JNPT had sought details on its share of mangrove land to be transferred to the state forest department. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

In a letter issued to the chairman of JNPT on February 12, Virendra Tiwari, additional principal chief conservator of forests and an ex-officio executive director of the state mangrove foundation, asked the port authority to notify mangrove area under its control under section 4 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927, “at the earliest”. Once notified, the mangrove area has to be handed over to the mangroves cell for better conservation.

“It has come to our notice that JNPT has not yet started the process of notifying mangrove land despite a court order in 2018. Since we do not have any information regarding mangrove area owned or controlled by the JNPT, we had been waiting for the port trust to start the process on its own. Since it has not happened, we have now written to them to start the process at the earliest,” said Tiwari.

In 2005, an interim order by the HC had stated that all mangrove areas on government land were to be handed over to the forest department. The HC reiterated its order on September 18, 2018. While district bodies are yet to hand over 1,592.8 hectare (ha) of mangrove land, state agencies such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and JNPT have failed to transfer approximately 1,147 ha to the forest department.

An email to the JNPT spokesperson did not elicit any response. However, HT has accessed a letter issued to the mangrove cell on January 16, in which JNPT had sought details on its share of mangrove land to be transferred to the state forest department.

In December last year, environment group Vanashakti had issued contempt notices to all Konkan district collectors, the Konkan divisional commissioner and JNPT for failing to hand over mangrove land under their jurisdiction to the Maharashtra forest department. In January this year, Vanashakti filed a petition in the HC seeking immediate transfer of all mangrove lands to the forest department.

“After receiving the notices, the state agencies have now started acting on the court order. JNPT is yet to transfer around 900ha of mangroves land,” said Stalin D, founder and director of Vanashakti.

“This letter from the mangrove cell to JNPT is a welcome development. As per JNPT’s official admission on its website, there is 900ha of mangroves in its area. By the thumb rule of 1,000 mangroves-per-hectare, JNPT is sitting on 900,000 mangroves,” said BN Kumar, director, NatConnect Foundation, another NGO that has been complaining of destruction of mangroves in the JNPT special economic zone (SEZ).