The City Industrial Development Corporation Ltd (Cidco), Maharashtra’s planning agency, has rejected the idea of declaring areas in Navi Mumbai and Uran, where thousands of flamingos migrated in April and May, as conservation reserves, saying they are “parcels of developable land “. and originally salinas.
Flamingos tinted the Talawe wetlands pink near the NRI Complex and the Chanakya Training Vessel (TSC) in Navi Mumbai during the Covid-19 shutdown thanks to a lack of human activity. Flamingos are known to feed on algae, crustaceans, shrimp, and aquatic plants, which give them a pinkish color.
Also Read: Maharashtra Forest Department Confirms Mangroves Hacked In Panje de Navi Mumbai; owner, Cidco to answer
“They are developable plots and the income records show them as salinas. Cidco had built several levees along the Navi Mumbai coastline as part of its development strategy. However, the villagers with the extra time broke these levees for fishing purposes and allowed the stream water to create several ponds. TSC and NRI are the result of this. According to the 2017 wetland regulations, these lands do not qualify to be declared as wetlands, ”Cidco said in a letter to the Maharashtra forest department, a copy of which HT has seen.
Cidco plans to develop a golf course and 17 buildings with 1,564 homes and 20 offices in the area. Environmentalists and residents have opposed the proposed construction, and the Mumbai High has stopped them as well. The matter is now pending before the Supreme Court.
In April, State Mangrove Cell proposed the protection of five sites: NRI (21.9 ha), TSC (14 ha) in Navi Mumbai and Panje (124 ha), Bhendkhal (8 ha) and Belpada (30 ha) in Uran- – as conservation reserves according to a report by the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). It solicited comments from the Raigad district administration and landowners – Cidco, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) and some private companies – under the Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ). JNPT and NMSEZ have also rejected the proposed protection.
Cidco called the BNHS report incorrect and highlighted another 2014 report from the latter that recommended making areas, including TSC and NRI, near Navi Mumbai International Airport unattractive to birds to avoid the risk of bird strikes. He added that the 2019 BNHS report overlooked this aspect of flight safety while recommending conservation reserves.
Cidco’s nodal officer (environment), Pramod Patil, said they have also accessed a March 2016 letter from the then chief chief conservator of forests (wildlife) citing recommendations from the former head of Mangrove Cell against proposing sanctuaries of birds in NRI and TSC. “We have shared this letter with the government of Maharashtra.”
Cidco said that the proposed areas in Urán were salinas, agricultural areas or assigned to NMSEZ. “Therefore, none of these five locations are wetlands and will not be considered wetlands,” the letter said.
In January, the state’s environment minister, Aaditya Thackeray, asked Cidco to seek alternative options, such as a flamingo sanctuary or a mangrove park at the site of the proposed golf course.
The Mangrove Cell has asked BNHS to respond to Cidco’s submissions. “Our proposal was based on the BNHS study, and we have also marked these sites as satellite wetlands in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary Management Plan. There may be more clarity on this only after BNHS responds to [Cidco] presentations … ”said Virendra Tiwari, Chief Additional Chief Conservator of Forests (Mangrove Cell).
BNHS’s Deepak Apte said the suggestions made in the 2014 interim report were specific to a proposed mangrove park adjacent to the NMIA airstrip. “It was not at all in the context of NRI, TSC and the other three wetlands in Uran. Our view is consistent from the outset that these five wetlands must be protected. “
BNHS Secretary Debi Goenka said it is common knowledge that a final report will include any interim reports. “In any case, the Maharashtra National Wetlands Atlas, produced by the Indian Space Research Organization, already shows these areas as wetlands.”
Sunil Agarwal, a resident of Navi Mumbai, said that he will file a contempt statement in the Supreme Court against Cidco and the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority for failing to implement their instructions on conservation and protection of wetlands. “The false position of these state bodies that there are no wetlands in Navi Mumbai and Uran must be denounced. The rules have been rigged to benefit private builders and the large flock of flamingos earlier this year is a testament that the area does not need construction, especially not a golf course. “
Afroz Ahmad, a member of the National Wetlands Authority, as the decision to propose 600 hectares of Aarey in Mumbai as reserved forest, it is up to the state to make a final decision on whether these sites are wetlands. “The states have been given freedom. It is under its jurisdiction to declare relevant areas as wetlands if the environment is the highest priority. All of these state departments should discuss and resolve the issue amicably. If these wetlands are included in the framework and rules, they should be declared appropriately as they are hugely biodiverse. “
.
