NMIIA: Forest dept yet to ask for mangrove count
MUMBAI: Amid the push for transfer of mangroves to the state for safekeeping, the forest department is yet to ask the now denotified Navi Mumbai Special Economic Zone (NMSEZ) for assessment of the mangrove cover on its 1,250-hectare property in Uran, Raigad district. This is despite evidence of mangrove cover on the land, say environmentalists, who have been tracking the destruction of wetlands in Uran taluka.
The erstwhile NMSEZ entity, which migrated to an Integrated Industrial Area (IIA) in February 2019 under the state’s industrial policy, has previously been pulled up by the Raigad administration and forest department for destruction of an estimated 4,500 mangroves in Pagote. A government official privy to the matter, preferring anonymity, said that as the NMIIA is a public-private-partnership (PPP) between City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and three other private entities, it is being treated as private land. “The state has no jurisdiction to take over the mangroves there, unlike in case of other public entities such as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation or municipalities,” the official said.
A representative of the erstwhile NMSEZ did not respond to request for a comment on Monday. Despite attempts, HT was unable to contact Cidco’s newly appointed environment officer for a response.
Environmentalists, however, pointed out that state-run Cidco continues to hold 26% equity in the NMIIA. “Cidco handed over 282 hectares of mangroves in
Raigad district to the forest department earlier this month. It should also assess and hand over the mangroves on the NMIIA land,” said BN Kumar, environmentalist with the Navi Mumbai-based Natconnect Foundation.
Moreover, NMIIA has not been included as a respondent in a recent public interest litigation filed by NGO Vanashakti, seeking compliance with the Bombay High Court’s 2018 judgment, ordering transfer of all mangroves in Maharashtra to the government. Stalin D, director of Vanashakti, clarified, “This is because Cidco has been included as a respondent. They are still the custodians of the land which has been leased out for the integrated industrial area.” Natconnect has now written to the chief minister to look into this anomaly, and called for an inspection of the property on the basis of the existing coastal zone management plan (CZMP) maps, which indicate presence of mangroves across Cidco’s Dronagiri node in Navi Mumbai, Panje, Pagote, Kunde and other spots. The CMO, on August 7, forwarded the inquiry to the forest and environment departments.