Revenue dept transfers 91% mangroves on government land to forest department

The mangroves committee was also directed to expedite action in 35 pending cases of mangrove destruction and allocate areas away from mangroves for debris dumping.

The revenue department has transferred 90.8% of 15,093 hectares (ha) of notified mangrove area on government land to the forest department.

Ecologists have alleged mangrove land is being illegally acquired for real estate development. (HT Photo)

This was revealed during an executive committee meeting to oversee efforts of the state mangroves committee on Tuesday. Ecologists have alleged mangrove land is being illegally acquired for real estate development. The transfer will help conserve the ecosystem, said experts.

“All these areas are notified reserved forests and now transferred to the forest department for better protection,” said Jagdish Patil, Konkan commissioner and head of state mangroves committee. The transfer was among the decisions taken after the first review meeting of the executive committee on Tuesday.

Chaired by the additional chief secretary (revenue), the meeting was attended by Patil, the principal secretaries from the environment and forest departments and other agencies. The mangroves committee was also directed to expedite action in 35 pending cases of mangrove destruction and allocate areas away from mangroves for debris dumping.

In a landmark order from September 2018, the Bombay high court (HC) had directed a freeze on the destruction of 30,200 ha of mangroves in the state. Apart from 15,093 ha on government land, about 13,000 ha are privately-held, without protected status. The remaining 2,000 ha belong to government agencies such as City Industrial Development Corporation, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation and Mumbai Metro Regional Development Authority.

“The state urban development department has directed all these agencies to transfer these areas to the forest department,” said Patil.

According to a combined report by district collectors, more than 14,000 ha of notified mangrove area has been transferred. Patil said that the forest department’s report says 1,377 ha of 15,093 ha are yet to be transferred. Of this area, 936 ha will be excluded as they were either wrongly notified as mangrove forests or settlement issues are underway.” “Remaining 411 ha are yet to be transferred from Raigad and Panvel. Forest, revenue and land records departments will survey these zones, and the transfer is expected to be complete by monsoon,” said Patil.

“To have more than 90% of mangrove forests on government land under their jurisdiction automatically ensures better protection since the department will be well versed with exact land demarcation as against other departments that do not know the difference between mangroves and terrestrial trees. This is a good move,” said Arvind Untawale, executive secretary of Mangrove Society of India.