T S Chanakya and NRI wetlands are waterbodies: Mangrove cell

The CIDCO has long contested this claim, stating that they are not natural lakes and water had accumulated in these regions over the years

NAVI MUMBAI: The divisional forest office of the mangroves cell submitted a report to the government confirming that the TS Chanakya, NRI area wetlands and DPS lake are water bodies. The City Industrial and Development Corporation (CIDCO) has long contested this claim, stating that these are not natural lakes as water had accumulated in these regions over the years.

Navi Mumbai, India - May 2, 2025:NRI Complex. APCCF mangroves cell confirms that NRI wetlands at Seawoods in Navi Mumbai, India, on Friday, May 2, 2025. (Photo by Bachchan Kumar/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

The state government in April had declared DPS Lake as a Conservation Reserve, ensuring the flamingo habitat is protected. Located in sector 60 of Nerul, both T S Chanakya and NRI areas, a 37-hectare open land parcel, had been confirmed as wetlands by the Thane nayab tehsildar in December 2024.

The real estate industry has long eyed the areas along Palm Beach Road. CIDCO too has sought to commercially exploit these areas by auctioning them for residential and commercial purposes. This puts these wetlands under the threat of disappearing, stated the May 2024 complaint to the government and the chief conservator of forests (Mangroves cell). The complainants, environmentalists Sunil Agrawal and Bharat Bhushan Gupta, through Law Global Associates, highlighted the vulnerability of wetlands in the face of rising real estate demand in the region arm in arm with CIDCO auctioning plots for construction of residential and commercial projects.

The complaint also alleged that around 125 mangroves were cut last year in the T S Chanakya and nearby areas. The revenue department had filed a complaint last year about the tree felling. Following this, the forest office mangroves cell, with various stakeholders, carried out an inspection in December last year. The subsequent report on March 12 stated that the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre map of 2015 showed T S Chanakya Lake and NRI Complex area as the same water body that it is seen as today. The report also confirmed that these areas are within 50 m of the mangroves.

“The report confirmed what the environmentalists have always been saying - these are water bodies. APCCF (additional principal chief conservator of forests) S V Ramarao submitted the report to the government on April 30, confirming its status,” said Agarwal. He also said that the report will be presented in the Special Leave Petition filed by CIDCO and a developer. “CIDCO should accept this and withdraw the sale of plots here.”

CIDCO did not respond to the development.