Bombay High Court order flouted: Debris dumped at Khargar pond

On June 7, the high court had asked Cidco to not dump debris near the pond

Residents of sector 18 and 19 of Kharghar who are fighting to save the holding pond in sector 19 are miffed yet again as debris dumping has resumed in the pond.

Sacks of debris dumped near the holding pond at Sector 19 in Kharghar. Residents have been fighting to save it. (BACHCHAN KUMAR/HT PHOTO)

On June 7, the Bombay high court had asked Cidco to not dump debris near the pond.

The next hearing on the holding pond matter has been scheduled for July 31.

However, the debris dumping in the pond area is yet again bothering residents.

Pramod Patil, nodal officer, environment and forest, City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), said, “The stay order on any dumping in pond or in nearby area was in effect since June 7 and till now there has been no dumping by Cidco. We would have to look who dumped debris.”

“As of now, we will make sure that debris is removed,” he said.

Nareshchandra Singh, 48, resident of sector 19, said that though they keep vigil in the area, they cannot be present 24x7.

“It is the Cidco’s responsibility to maintain HC’s stay order. Therefore, they are also the culprits for defying the order and failing to monitor debris dumping in the area,” he said.

The HC had directed Cidco to stop dumping in the pond and had even asked the collector to depute an official, not below the rank of tehsildar, to visit the site and ensure that the work of filing or reclamation is stopped.

Stalin Dayanand, member of the wetland committee, said, “This is a defiance of the court’s order and Cidco is at fault for not following the court order. Hence, a legal notice can be served to Cidco for defying HC’s order. Also, the collector should speed up with the official inspection of the pond, which has been pending since long.”

The residents have been fighting to save the water body, which Cidco says is not a wetland. They also planted saplings around the pond to stop the menace.

The pond, which was spread across 5 hectares, has shrunk and only 1.5 hectares remain.

On May 15, NGO Abhivyakti protested against debris dumping and filed a complaint with state environment department, HC-appointed wetland grievance committee and Cidco, which who owns the plot.