Navi Mumbai: Concerns Mount as CIDCO Retains Vast Mangrove Belts Amid State Survey

The City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) continues to hold on to vast hectares of mangrove belts in Navi Mumbai even as a fresh survey of tidal plants underway by the state is being questioned by activists and city-based NGOs. The Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) has initiated a new study of tidal plants along the state’s coastal areas.

“The study will aid in understanding mangrove growth and assessing destruction,” said SV Ramarao, the mangrove cell chief.

Concerns Mount Over Delayed Transfer Of Mangrove Areas To Forest Department

According to the Mangrove Cell’s response to the city-based non-governmental organisation Nat Connect Foundation, CIDCO still controls over 1,200 hectares of mangrove belts. “As per the official records, 2,011.36 hectares of mangrove areas are yet to be handed over to the forest department. The area to be handed over is equivalent to the size of about 200 Azad maidan, therefore their conservation is extremely important,” said the director of the foundation, B N Kumar.

Environmental groups have consistently raised concerns about the prolonged delay in mangrove transfers. MRSAC is currently studying seven districts: Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane, Mumbai, Mumbai Suburban, and Palghar. The government recognises MRSAC as a leading state center for natural resource monitoring and management, utilising Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) technologies.

Activists Raise Concerns Over CIDCO And JNPT Holding Mangroves For Future Projects

Expressing alarm over mangrove neglect, the foundation previously contacted the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “The PMO referred the complaint to the state, which then requested a response from the mangrove authorities. The delay in transferring mangrove belts to the forest department is causing significant damage, contradicting the PM’s ambitious Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats and Tangible Incomes (MISHTI),” Kumar explained.

Nandakumar Pawar, head of Sagar Shakti, voiced concerns about CIDCO and JNPT retaining mangroves for future project needs. “It is shocking that CIDCO is allowed to scot-free as the city planner holds on to hundreds of hectares of mangroves. Even The Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) is holding to almost 70 hectares of mangroves onto the pretext of future requirements on the pretext of future requirements for its projects,” said Pawar.