FIR against Uran civic body for dumping trash on mangroves

I haven’t got info on any cases being filed. AVDHUT TAYDE, chief executive officer, UMC

NAVI MUMBAI: The state revenue department on Sunday filed an FIR against the Uran Municipal Council (UMC) for dumping garbage at the Bori Pakhadi dumpyard, in Uran, which is created on mangrove land. The FIR was registered after Shivaji Daund, chairman of the high court-appointed mangrove protection committee, on Sunday ordered a fresh inspection into the matter, acting on 80 complaints filed by locals and environmental groups. Activists said this is the first such FIR filed in the matter.

Dattatreya Navale, sub-divisional officer from the revenue department, confirmed the FIR was registered by the Uran police on revenue officer Vinay Chintaman Patil’s complaint, after the inspection on Sunday. The FIR points to destruction of mangroves under sections 15 and 19 of the Environment Act. However, Avdhut Tayde, chief executive officer, UMC, said he had no information of cases being filed.

Earlier this month, UMC had said the dumpyard, functional for 13 years, will be closed to protect wetlands. UMC had said it had identified alternative sites for a dumpyard. The mangrove committee had in December directed the district collector and Cidco to shift the dumpyard, but UMC contractors kept dumping trash on the mangroves, said Nandakumar Pawar, head, Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishthan. Inspections by the revenue and forest departments have confirmed that mangroves are dying owing to the garbage-dumping, and that the stench has spread.

“The administration has failed to take action,” said BN Kumar, director of Natconnect Foundation. Residents, led by Urav Yuva platform, on Saturday filed 80 complaints against UMC officials after a protest march to the tehsildar, Bhausaheb Andhare’s office. The complaints pointed out that the dump is less than 50m in size, against the norm of 500m. As Andhare, sought time to look into the issue, Natconnect sought the district collector’s intervention.