BJP MLA’s firm cutting through Mumbai green zone: Forest dept

According to a report filed by the state forest department, Mehta’s company Seven Eleven Construction Pvt Ltd. has destroyed a hilly area measuring 300m by 7.3m to lay a road. Unauthorised tree felling and hill cutting are offences under the environment laws.

Construction by a company owned by former mayor of Mira-Bhayander Narendra Mehta has destroyed part of a forest-covered hill inside the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), the forest department has said. Mehta, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator, has said only levelling work has been carried out. A monitoring committee will meet next week to discuss the matter and an order has been passed to stop all work on site till then.

The area falls within the 10 acres in the ESZ that Narendra Mehta had bought three months ago.

According to a report filed by the state forest department, Mehta’s company Seven Eleven Construction Pvt Ltd. has destroyed a hilly area measuring 300m by 7.3m to lay a road. Unauthorised tree felling and hill cutting are offences under the environment laws. The area falls within the 10 acres in the ESZ that Mehta had bought three months ago. Forest officials inspected the site after Mira-Bhayander resident Dhiraj Parab reported the alleged violation. “Two water bodies at the site are also being reclaimed through dumping of stones and debris recovered from hill cutting. The location of the area is close to Versave village,” the report said. HT has a copy of the report.

Mehta said he plans to “develop the area” and that the forest department’s report is misleading. “Only levelling work was done to make a road to my private property. No trees or water bodies have been affected,” he said.

Range forest officer DC Deshmukh, who filed the report, said, “On visiting the site, we found hill cutting had made way for a gorge. Such activities without permission from bodies like Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, district administration, and ESZ committee amounts to a violation of the Environment Protection Act (EPA).” He said that even on privately-owned land, construction within the ESZ without relevant permissions is illegal.

In 2016, the Union environment ministry declared the ESZ as a minimum of up to 100 metres and maximum of up to four kilometres from the boundary of SGNP. “Activities such as affordable housing, tourism resorts and even small-scale industries can be permitted subject to clearance by a monitoring committee, comprising 13 members and chaired by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) commissioner,” the notification said.

The forest department’s report will be presented to the monitoring committee next week. “Extent of damage, approved plans, alleged violations, and clearances received will all be discussed. If norms have been flouted, action will be taken against the MLA’s firm,” said Jitendra Ramgaokar, deputy conservator of forest, Thane, and member secretary of the committee.

This is the second time Mehta has faced charges of environment destruction. In 2018, Mehta was among those booked for mangrove destruction caused by the construction of the Seven Eleven Club in Mira Bhayander.