Seven acres of mangroves reclaimed in Borivali, says BMC preliminary observation

The official action came after a series of complaints by local activists of the New Link Road Residents Forum beginning February 12

MUMBAI: About seven acres of mangroves on a privately owned plot of land in Dharma Nagar, Borivali West, have been reclaimed in the last two weeks according to a preliminary observation of officials of the BMC, Mangrove Cell, tehsildar’s office and other concerned authorities on February 25. A BMC official present for the survey said they would investigate the matter and file an FIR in due course.

About 12 feet of construction debris had been dumped on 5-7 acres of land, mangroves had been cut and then cordoned off with 15-feet-long metal sheets

An official said that prima facie, about 12 feet of construction debris had been dumped on 5-7 acres of land, mangroves had been cut and then cordoned off with 15-feet-long metal sheets. Since the survey took place a day after a wedding was held at the location, garbage and decorative materials like thermocol sheets were also seen dumped in the wetlands. The reclaimed area was geo-tagged.

The official action came after a series of complaints by local activists of the New Link Road Residents Forum beginning February 12. “It came to our attention that a major chunk of the land had been reclaimed,” said Harish Pandey, an advocate and founder member of the Dahisar-based forum. “The privately owned land along the trail of mangroves that runs parallel to the New Link Road and Gorai Creek has witnessed gradual reclamation over the years.”

This is not the first time that a complaint about reclamation in this area has been filed. “We have been fighting against it since 2014,” said Pandey. “This is a fresh complaint because of the new reclaimed land. Once the satellite imagery and the survey report is released, we will file a public interest litigation petition in the court.”

A Bombay high court order in 2018 has banned the destruction of mangroves on privately owned or public land. “As per the Coastal Regulation Zone rules and the Environment Protection Act 1986, the owners are supposed to remove the debris at their own expense and restore the area; yet, in all the cases, no land is ever recovered,” said Stalin Dayanand, director of NGO Vanashakti.

The residents’ forum has also complained about a second site which is one kilometre from the Dharma Nagar plot. It now has a kaccha road, which appears to be recent, as one of the workers in the area was seen watering the concrete patches. “No one knows what is behind the long metal sheets, as the connecting road is a less travelled one,” said Pandey. “We clicked photos from a distance, which clearly show that the land has been reclaimed.”

Highlighting the loopholes in the system, Dayanand said, “The forest department is supposed to protect mangrove lands, but its officials say that they offer protection only when owners notify them. Most owners don’t.” The activist also mentioned that the collector’s office always failed to take action despite complaints from residents.

“In this case, the officials will file an FIR as per process but will fail to follow up on the restoration,” said Dayanand, who is also a member of the state’s Mangrove Protection Committee. “We will take up the case if action is not taken.”