NAVI MUMBAI: Taking cognizance of the environmentalists’ concern over the destruction of NRI and TS Chanakya wetlands for a golf course at Nerul in Maharashtra, the Centre has asked the stare environment department to take action into the complaints “on priority" to resolve the concern of greens.
Meanwhile, a fresh complaint has been sent to the forest department about deliberate destruction of mangroves near Moraj Circle, Palm Beach Road.
Environmentalists have also reiterated that by saving these flamingo sites, the birds will not divert their flights towards Navi Mumbai airport, thereby avoiding accidents.
The environmentalists have drawn the attention of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to the fact that the destruction of wetlands would be detrimental to flights at the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA).
M Ramesh, an official of the MoEFCC, has written to the state environment department regarding the issue raised by the greens, said director of NatConnect Foundation BN Kumar.
The MoEFCC gave clearance to NMIA project on the basis of some conditions which included an avifaunal study to be carried out in consultation with the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Sunil Agrawal of Save Navi Mumbai Wetlands forum pointed out.
BNHS’ repeated studies have warned against the destruction of wetlands, which are the destination for hundreds of thousands of migratory and local birds.
The birds missing their traditional destinations could create a tussle in the sky and land at high grounds of the airport project, thus posing dangers to NMIA flights.
Kumar has demanded a commission of inquiry into the “wrong certification” by Cidco that the water bodies are not wetlands on the basis of which the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has granted environmental clearance for the golf course project. NatConnect has obtained the copy of the Environmental Clearance via the RTI route.
M Ramesh has now asked the State Ministry to take action into the environmentalists’ complaints. He has also asked the State Wetlands Authority as well to take “necessary action” and intimate the Centre.
The forest department had itself admitted in its affidavit in Bombay high court, during the hearing a petition by Agrawal and others, that the two wetlands figure in the National Wetland Assessment Inventory prepared by the Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre, Kumar pointed out.
The high court had ordered scrapping of the golf course project but Cidco and the private developer moved the Supreme Court with separate petitions. Despite the pendency of the SC ruling, the project recently received approval from Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), Agrawal lamented.
The Golf course and Country club with real estate development comprising 5 pockets named as A, B, C, D & E in Sector 60 Nerul Navi Mumbai was bidded on Integrated basis and all documents made it very clear that piecemeal development is not permitted, Agrawal said.
The State Mangrove Foundation has expressed its desire to conserve these wetlands along with the ones at Bhendkhal, Belpada and Panje in Uran and Bhandup in Northeast Mumbai. This followed the BNHS plan to save these properties as satellite sanctuaries as part of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary management plan. Birds fly to these wetlands during high tide in the creek and endangering them would pose bird-hit threats to the NMIA flights, BNHS said.
