‘Kharghar pond that locals trying to save is not wetland’

MUMBAI: The Raigad district administration has told the Bombay high court (HC) that the Kharghar pond located between sector 18 and 19 in Navi Mumbai, which locals want to be saved, is not a wetland.

An affidavit filed by Panvels’ sub-divisional officer before the HC on Thursday, made public by the petitioners on Monday, referred to a document from the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) which does not identify the water body as a wetland. However, residents who had petitioned the HC to seek protection for the wetland, have refuted the claim and have said MRSAC’S own website identifies the water body as a lake or pond.

HT has a copy of the document. The state urban development department (UDD) submitted another affidavit to the HC stating that this piece of land as per revenue records was not a wet-

land but was privately owned and used for agricultural purposes prior to it being acquired by City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco). “Cidco has submitted its report to the wetland redressal committee that this is not a wetland. As per the Wetland Atlas published by the Centre, this is not a wetland,” read the affidavit by UDD.

HT had first reported on May 15 that dumping of construction debris had destroyed threefourths of a six-hectare pond called Murbi Talav in Kharghar over the past three years. Local residents, led by a community

group Abhivyakti moved the Bombay HC that granted a stay on debris dumping in June.

The Raigad district collector and Cidco refused to comment on the matter as the matter is sub-judice.naresh Singh from Abhivyakti said MRSAC was contradicting itself. “There is clear evidence available on MRSAC website that the area is a lake or pond, and going by the new definition from wetland rules (see box), this area is a wetland. We will be submitting our response to the court,” he said.

The matter will be heard next by the HC on September 17.