Birders, fishers told to stay away from Panje as tidal water flow stopped to site

An excavator machine was spotted on Wednesday with plans to commence debris dumping on the parched wetland where only a handful of birds were spotted as high tide water ingress had been blocked

Fresh trouble is brewing at the Panje area in Navi Mumbai’s Uran, where birders and fisherfolk who have identified several environmental violations in the past, have been told to remain clear of the site and were also taken to a local police station allegedly by landowners.

Panje is a destination for thousands of migratory birds and an ecologically sensitive area where countless ornithologists and bird enthusiasts have been gathering over the years. (HT file)

At the same time, an excavator machine was spotted on Wednesday with plans to commence debris dumping on the parched wetland where only a handful of birds were spotted as high tide water ingress had been blocked, said environmentalists.

Apart from being a source of survival for the local fishing community, Panje is a destination for thousands of migratory birds and an ecologically sensitive area where countless ornithologists and bird enthusiasts have been gathering over the years. However, the City Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (Cidco) and Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ) plan to build an integrated township at Panje.

Local resident and birder Parag Gharat said he was told by NMSEZ representatives and security guards placed by Cidco to stay away from the site. “I was taken to the local police station at Nhava Sheva where I had to promise not to visit the wetland again or face action since construction is commencing and the area is not a wetland,” he said.

Pramod Patil, nodal officer (environment), Cidco said he was not aware of any such action. “We will look into the matter and speak to NMSEZ officials on any developments at the site,” he said.

“We have no information on any police complaint but a large portion of Panje belongs to NMSEZ and the site is an agricultural area, not a wetland,” said an NMSEZ spokesperson.

An official from the Nhava Sheva police said they had summoned three persons for taking photographs and fishing at Panje. “We have received complaints. It is private property and these acts are not allowed,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

Environmentalist Aishwarya Sridhar was accosted by unidentified persons on Tuesday for taking photographs at Panje. “I feel very sad to see Panje dried up and the sight of birds sitting on the dried wetland was heartbreaking. There is absolutely no value for ecosystems like wetlands and big corporations are trading our ecology for the economy. The development has to be sustainable. If we lose Panje we lose an important flood control mechanism for Mumbai city,” she said.

Environment groups have been petitioning environment minister Aaditya Thackeray to declare Panje a bird sanctuary. “It is illegal to treat the wetland as private property, and even more illegal to stop tidal water flow to dry out the land for construction,” said BN Kumar, director, NatConnect Foundation.

HT reported last week that information obtained under the Right to Information (RTI) showed that NMSEZ had illegally started landfill at Panje wetland through a local contractor while damaging the Pagote and Bhendkhal wetlands in the Uran region in Raigad district across Mumbai harbour. “Neither the NMSEZ security nor police has any business to stop any free movement of people at Panje,” said environmentalist Nandkumar Pawar.