Residents complain of dumping at Lotus Lake

NAVI MUMBAI: The residents of Sector 27, Nerul, complained of landfilling and illegal dumping of debris in Lotus Lake destroying its beauty. Lotus Lake adjacent to Amra Marg Road, which connects Uran Phata to Palm Beach Road, has been wearing an unpleasant look for a few months. The plot adjoining the lake is beautified by Cidco.

KP Sherif, 62, a resident of Sector 27, said, “Lotus Lake is next to our society building and has been declared as wetland in Navi Mumbai. Wetlands are highly sensitive and protected areas. Any violation or interference is subjected to stringent provisions of law. Till last year, the lake flourished with lotus and other plants. Cidco has remained negligent, though its duty is to protect the lake. During the lockdown, the wetland has been affected by encroachments and dumping of debris.”

Land-levelling work has been undertaken at one end of the debris while heaps are dumped on the other side. Encroachments by hutments is another issue here.

Meanwhile, Saluja Sutar, ex-corporator of the area, said, “The work going on has affected the natural habitat and is hazardous for the lake. There is no fencing done to protect the lake. We demanded that the lake area be under us for developing a garden around it. If Cidco doesn’t cater to this need, we will consider protesting for the same in future.”

Meanwhile, the Cidco PRO said, “The work of levelling the plot near the lake is in progress. During this work, however, all the technical norms are being followed and the lake is not harmed in any way. We’ll look into the debris dumping issue.”

Cidco PRO says work of levelling the plot near the lake is in progress.