Mira-Bhayandar: The row over the proposed slaughter house in Uttan has once again turned the spotlight on the step motherly treatment meted out to the villagers living in the coastal area which has already fallen prey to haphazard development owing to the rather unusual boom in illegal construction activities for the past several years.
The woes have been compounded due to recurring fires leading to choking smoke and unbearable stench emanating from the mountains of garbage at the dumping yard and solid waste processing plant located on the hillocks of Dhavgi village.
Coastal Uttan in Mira-Bhayandar Faces Neglect Amid Illegal Construction and Waste Crisis | File Photo
It should be noted that Maharashtra Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) had been appointed as Special Planning Authority (SPA) for villages including Gorai, Manori, Uttan, Dongri, Tarodi, Chowk and parts of Morva -which are predominantly inhabited by East Indians.
The villages are notified areas which come under the Recreation and Tourism Development Zone (RTDZ). While Uttan-Chowk-Tarodi and Morva (covering an area of 23.61 sq.km) fall under the jurisdiction of the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), Gorai and Manori are in the purview of their Mumbai counterparts.
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However, the twin-city’s coastal belt which is blessed with around five kilometres of waterfront, continues to remain largely neglected even as the illegal construction activities by notorious chawl mafia and fly-by-night builders have brazenly denuded hills and destroyed greenery to facilitate unbridled and unplanned development in the region.
“From dumping ground and waste process plant to dog sterilization centre and now slaughterhouse, the administration has taken Uttan for granted as villagers are left to suffer.” said fishing community leader- Bernard D’mello.
“Blessed by nature, Uttan and surrounding coastal areas have a high potential for the development of beach tourism, which will also generate employment opportunities. The government should seriously think of giving a facelift to beaches, beautifying the picturesque coastal belt and restoring places of historic importance.” said local hotelier Santosh Puthran.
Presently the pristine beaches are beset with sanitation and hygiene issues. Home to over 750 fishing boats in the region, a major part of the 50,000 plus population living in the quaint villages largely rely on fishing as their source of livelihood.
