Special 22 all set to save mangroves in Maharashtra

HT had reported earlier this month that the number of mangrove destruction cases in Mumbai increased by 70% in the first nine months of 2018, compared to the past two years.

Within a month of the Bombay high court’s (HC) order, the state has constituted a mangroves committee comprising 22 members to look into destruction, restoration and overall preservation of coastal wetlands along Konkan. Also, a three-member committee of state principal secretaries – revenue, forest and environment – has been constituted to monitor the functioning of the panel.

The mangrove patch at Uran where debris is being dumped. (HT PHOTO)

The state has 15,087.6 hectares of reserved mangrove forests and approximately 10,200 hectares of private mangrove forests that are yet to gain protected status. HT had reported earlier this month that the number of mangrove destruction cases in Mumbai increased by 70% in the first nine months of 2018, compared to the past two years. Mangrove land is being illegally acquired for real estate development in various eco-sensitive areas, said ecologists.

While detailing the role of the panel, the HC had said: “The committee shall be responsible for preservation and conservation of mangroves and restoration of reclaimed mangroves areas.”

The state released a government resolution (GR) on Tuesday evening, mentioning the details mandated by the HC. The committee will be headed by the Konkan commissioner, with the deputy conservator of the forest state mangrove cell as its member secretary. “Our first meeting has been scheduled in November,” said Jagdish Patil, Konkan commissioner. “We will also constitute district- and taluka-level committees within two months.”

The responsibilities of the committee include coordinating with various government bodies and municipal corporations, restoration of degraded areas, developing a dedicated website for complaints, ensuring proper surveillance of mangrove patches with the help of police, forest staff, CCTV cameras and construction of compound walls. “For the first time, the state has a committee to specifically look into saving mangroves in Maharashtra across eight districts – Mumbai city, suburbs, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg,” said Virendra Tiwari, chief conservator of forest (Mantralaya), Maharashtra forest department. “Other existing committees in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai have been dissolved. All HC directions have been virtually translated into this order. The committee needs to ensure no vehicles enter mangrove forests, and every six months high resolution satellite images from all eight districts are developed and compared. The first report needs to be shared with the HC by December, and every three months thereafter.”

Tiwari said the state will also form a grievance redress mechanism over the next two months. “Based on guidance after the first committee meeting, we will come up with a mechanism with their inputs.”