JNPT had no approval to reclaim 400-acre wetland in Uran: RTI

The revenue department confirmed that truckloads of soil had been dumped on mangroves and creeks at Dastan Phata.

A response to a right to information (RTI) query has revealed that the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) had no mining permission to reclaim a 400-acre wetland in Uran, Navi Mumbai, where it has been dumping soil and debris illegally. According to the revenue department, 90% of the site has already been levelled. JNPT however, has said the area in question is agricultural land.

A response to a right to information (RTI) query has revealed that the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) had no mining permission to reclaim a 400-acre wetland in Uran, Navi Mumbai, where it has been dumping soil and debris illegally. (Pratik Chorge/HT Photo)

In January, activist Nandkumar Pawar of Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) filed an RTI query to the Raigad district administration, seeking details of the quantity of sand used and the royalty paid for reclamation at Dastan Phata, in Navi Mumbai. The site was identified as a wetland by the state mangroves committee based on the National Wetland Atlas, Maharashtra 2011.

The revenue department confirmed that truckloads of soil had been dumped on mangroves and creeks at Dastan Phata. “Our circle officers reported that 90% of this site had been levelled. In some areas, soil dumping was done at night,” an official said. The department submitted a report detailing this to the collector’s office on January 10. On January 16, the state mangroves committee directed Raigad’s district administration to ensure land reclamation at Dastan Phata stops immediately.

Pawar received a response to his query from the district administration’s mining division on April 5. It said, “JNPT has taken no permissions nor has it paid any royalty for the landfill on mangroves, creek areas at Dastan Phata, which amounts to loss of revenue to the state as the royalty works out [to] over Rs 500 per dumper.” HT has a copy of the RTI response undersigned by Afroz Baig, Raigad district mining officer (DMO).

Baig said the district administration has been informed and follow-up action will be taken against JNPT “based on directive”. “It is binding on the infrastructure agencies and their contractors to pay royalty for mining and digging soil for landfilling activities or at least basic permission before initiating any work. The reclamation carried out by JNPT is illegal,” she said.

This is the third large-scale environmental violation by JNPT within a year. HT reported in June and December last year that 9,050 mangrove trees across 10 hectares had been destroyed at two sites in Uran.

JNPT, the country’s largest container port, denied the area was a wetland. In its written statement, JNPT said, “The land records of this area show that it is cultivated land utilised for growing paddy fields. As per the high tide and low tide surveys done by the Centre, the said area is out of the coastal regulation zone (CRZ).” The statement also said that the JNPT board is empowered to sanction work within port premises .

Raigad collector Vijay Suryanvashi refused to comment on the matter.