Cidco, collector get contempt notice

MUMBAI: A civil society group, which works to protect Maharashtra’s mangroves and coastal wetlands, has served contempt of court notices to City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and the Raigad district collector for non-compliance of a month-old order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that directed that all tidal water inlets to Cidco’s 289-hectare (ha) property in Uran be opened immediately to ensure flow of sea water to Panje wetland and its mangrove forests.

NGT’S western regional bench had on April 15 directed Cidco and the Raigad district collector to ensure that choke points at five tidal inlets are removed, upholding previous orders from the state environment department. Environmentalists have repeatedly emphasised in statements to the press over the past month that this order has not been implemented. Nandakumar Pawar, head of NGO Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, had moved NGT for urgent interim relief in April as the state government’s earlier orders to clear the inlets had been ignored.

“You are hereby called upon to ensure that the order dated April 15 passed by the NGT and the directions contained therein are complied with forthwith and the blockages to the five culverts at Panje are immediately removed, failing which my client will consider himself at liberty to file appropriate proceedings including those for contempt against you,” stated the notice, which was served by Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishthan’s legal counsel Meenaz Kalia.

A Cidco official , who did not wish to be identified, said, “The NGT order does not apply to us directly. The particular culverts are on Navi Mumbai SEZ (special economic zone) land, which has been leased out to a private company in 2019. They need to implement the order, not Cidco.”

Raigad district collector Nidhi Chaudhury did not respond to a request for comment.