Navi Mumbai: Rights panel pulls up top babus over Parsik Hill digging

Burnt trees at Parsik Hill, Belapur

The Maharashtra Human Rights Commission has summoned top state officials and the Navi Mumbai police on the basis of a mid-day report highlighting alleged illegal digging at Parsik Hill, Belapur. The report pointed to a series of complaints to the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray by non-profit NatConnect Foundation raising concerns over potential dangers to the hill if digging continued unabated.

The state environment department has already informed the NGO that no green clearance was given for cutting the Parsik Hill slopes.

The Commission, headed by Justice K K Tated with M A Sayeed as member, has cited the report and remarked that negligence on the part of officials has affected the human rights of several persons. It has asked the officials to appear before it on December 2.

Also read: Navi Mumbai: Land on top of Parsik hill being dug illegally, say activists

Digging underway at Parsik Hill. Activists say this will seriously damage the ecology of the area

Green groups and local activists have welcomed the suo moto cognisance by the Commission and hoped that steps would be taken to restore the original beauty of the ecologically sensitive Parsik Hill.

In its complaints to the then CM, NatConnect Foundation had highlighted alleged illegal digging of the hill - under the guise of beautification on one occasion and another by unidentified people. "We questioned the need to dig the Parsik slopes on the eastern side, facing CIDCO Bhavan, and destroy and burn existing greenery in February," said NatConnect director B N Kumar.

According to the NGO, the CMO, through at least four e-mails, asked the secretaries of the environment, urban development and forest departments as well as the Thane collector to look into the complaints but there was no response from anyone.

Parsik Greens convenor Vishnu Joshi had also shown the damages done to local ward officer Dr Mithali Sancheti when she visited the site. "It is an understatement to say that we are shocked," said Joshi, who is a local resident.

Kumar and Joshi are upbeat about the Commission's action. Activists said the cut portion of the hill can be seen from the Sion-Panvel Highway yet no official took any action to stop the brazen violation.

"CIDCO allotted over 200 plots on top of the Parsik Hill of which at least 100 have residential and commercial buildings. These could be in danger if the hill develops landslides due to the cutting with heavy JCB machines," said Jayant Thakur, president of the local residents' association.

The association secretary Rajendra Lokhande said a landslide has already impacted the water control room at the foot of the hill, close to the digging site.
B N Kumar said police sub-inspector Deepak Gavit from Belapur has confirmed that the Navi Mumbai commissioner's office has received the Commission's summons. "He [Gavit] has already started recording the statements and obtaining reports from various officials. These would be submitted to the HRC [Commission] before December 2 when the next hearing is scheduled," Kumar said.

Dec 2
When the Commission will hear the matter next