Mira-Bhayandar: Mangroves Being Destroyed For Illegal Construction In Uttan, FIR Lodged

The Uttan coastal police station registered a FIR against unknown people on charges of destroying mangroves at the estuaries near the historic Janjire Dharavi fort and jetty at Chowk village in Uttan near Bhayandar on Thursday.

Environmentalists Dhiraj Parab and Rohit Suvarna, attached to the Janjire Dharavi Killa Jatan Samithi, alerted the authorities about the destruction, which was confirmed by a team of revenue officials who inspected the area and found that Avicennia Marina, a species of mangrove commonly known as grey mangrove, had been destroyed. Talathi (revenue officer) Ramesh Fapale registered a complaint with the police.

Mangrove hacked to reclaim land

Mangrove forests are regularly destroyed to reclaim land in the coastal belt of Uttan to pave way for illegal constructions, posing a serious threat to the fragile ecosystem and increasing the risk of flooding during the rainy season.

Local fishermen, heritage lovers, and environmentalists have requested the district administration to check footage from CCTV cameras installed in the vicinity of the fort to identify and arrest the culprits. The use of machine cutters to hack the mangrove plants is suspected. The destruction of mangrove forests and construction within 50mts of mangrove areas has been banned by the judiciary, and the government has established a special cell for the protection of mangroves.

A case has been registered under the relevant sections of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 against the yet-to-be-identified individuals and further investigations are underway.