BMC’s about-turn on dumping debris on mangroves

After repeatedly claiming it was not piling debris on mangroves while creating a dumping ground at Kanjurmarg, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has contradicted itself in a letter. Kunal Purohit reports.

After repeatedly claiming it was not piling debris on mangroves while creating a dumping ground at Kanjurmarg, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has contradicted itself in a letter.

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Written by BMC’s development plan department to the suburban collector’s office on February 3, the letter said the dumping ground land had not been demarcated yet. This means land for the dumping ground had not been separated from the mangroves, as ordered, and debris was being dumped right on to the mangroves.

Lush mangroves surround the 141-hectare plot off the eastern express highway at Kanjurmarg. The plot has 20.76 hectares of mangroves to be left untouched. Hindustan Times had earlier reported how the suburban collector had issued a notice to the BMC, asking it to get the dumping ground land separated from the mangroves. Back then, civic officials said the dump was already demarcated.

But, the letter states: ‘We have paid Rs 1.23 crore for the demarcation of the dumping ground , but the work hasn’t begun yet’.

Mumbai suburban collector Nirmalkumar Deshmukh said, “We will begin the demarcation process.” An official in the land survey department said, “The BMC paid the demarcation fee only a few days ago. If they were serious about it, they should have paid up earlier.

BP Patil, chief engineer, solid waste management, BMC, said, “A (informal) demarcation has been done earlier. This exercise will ensure that a physical demarcation is done.”