Mumbai: Kharghar locals want CIDCO rapped for wetland damage

Residents of Hyde Park in Kharghar have been working every week to clean the pond in the area, as CIDCO's board has done nothing to keep miscreants away

Kharghar residents are seeing red over the mistreatment of their green space and are taking steps to ensure the authorities are pulled up over it. Several of them recently got together with Abhivyakti group, which takes up environmental issues, and complained to the Wetland Grievance Redressal Committee against the City Industrial and Development Corporation (CIDCO) for "deliberately ignoring" the wetland in the area. The residents have also submitted a complaint letter to the Kharghar police, requesting that action be taken against miscreants dirtying the pond and the surrounding area.

Fighting alone
Every week, citizens of Hyde Park, in Sector 35, have been going out of their way to protect the pond and clean it up, but their efforts have been going down the drain as dumping of waste in the waterbody has been going on unabated, even as CIDCO turns a blind eye to it. After repeated complaints and follow-ups, CIDCO authorities put up a large signboard at the edge of the pond, but it hasn't had any impact in deterring people from destroying it.

A resident, Dharmendra Kar, said, "The young as well as old have been involved in trying to restore the natural beauty and greenery around the pond and remove garbage from it, but it's becoming a mammoth task every week, because new waste keeps getting dumped there. And, this is happening right under CIDCO's nose. "It is quite clear that CIDCO's namesake measures are not working; neither are the officials taking it seriously enough to consider other actions to prevent this destruction of environment."

Residents have said there is a need for proper barricades and roadblocks to stop passing motorists from throwing waste in the pond, besides appointing someone to keep vigil there and catch the rule-breakers. They also want CCTV cameras installed there to identify the culprits, so that stern action can be taken against them and act as a deterrent.

Officialspeak
Senior inspector Pradeep Tidar said, "We have received a letter from the residents. We will look into the matter and do the needful. But as it comes under CIDCO, we can't comment further on it." When contacted, CIDCO's PRO assured to get back on the issue soon.

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