Now, green patch in Navi Mumbai may be destroyed. Here's why

Citizens noticed trees had been chopped at a CIDCO-owned plot in Nerul's Sector 60

Green activists in Navi Mumbai have alleged that mangroves located on a government-owned land in Nerul's sector 60 are being destroyed for the third time for a residential project and golf course. Activist Sunil Agarwal claimed no action is being taken as the land in question is owned by CIDCO (City and Industrial Development Corporation).

He has emailed a complaint to the Chief Minister's Office, the Konkan divisional commissioner, the Mangrove Cell, and the forest secretary along with pictures of the site. "There has been deliberate chopping of mangroves in Pocket A of the plot. A team from the Forest Department had visited the spot for inspection, but did not even conduct a panchanama, let alone file an FIR," Agarwal said. He and other residents noticed trees having been cut in Pocket A on December 31. The Range Forest Officer of the Mangrove Cell was unavailable for comment.

"In a similar incident from April 2016, citizens intervened and an FIR was filed against unknown persons, but no one was arrested despite of video evidence. In October 2017, the CIDCO-appointed builder destroyed wetlands and mangroves on the pretext of building compound walls. The filling up of wetland was stopped by the Wetlands Committee (WC). The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation filed an FIR over tree-cutting. But the WC's instructions to remove debris were not being followed, so we approached the Bombay High Court. The wetlands were restored in April 2018," he said.

The CIDCO housing and golf course project sanctioned in 2009 on the plot was put on hold by the HC in November 2018 after which both, the CIDCO and the builder approached the Supreme Court. "Authorities should deal with this attempt to alter the land while the matter is pending in Supreme Court," Agarwal said. Repeated attempts to get a response from the CIDCO went unanswered.'

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