Activist: Mangroves in Borivali destroyed for commercial centres; panel to visit site

Mumbai: A city-based environmentalist has sent a reminder to the forest department and state authorities about a complaint he had filed in Nov 2022 on the alleged destruction of mangroves in Borivali's coastal regulation zone (CRZ) for the construction of 2 commercial convention centres and a go-karting track.
Following the reminder by Reji Abraham of United Association for Social Education & Public Welfare Trust, members of the state-monitored mangroves protection committee will undertake a site visit at Eksar village, Borivali, to further inquire into the issue.
"I have been following up on this mangrove encroachment issue for over two years with the authorities. Already, three site visits have taken place, which confirmed that the go-karting track and the two convention centres at Eksar village have come up by destroying mangroves on this CRZ-1 area. However, one more site visit has been planned on Oct 9; and surprisingly, the parties linked to the convention centres and the go-karting have also been called," said Abraham.
Abraham further said two reports of the state mangroves protection committee dated Dec 8 and Dec 30, 2022, have confirmed destruction of mangroves in these CRZ areas. "Hence, if these commercial encroachments are not removed, then it is also a contempt of the Bombay High Court order of Sept 18, 2018—that all mangroves need to be protected and handed over to the forest department," he said.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests (mangrove cell) S V Ramarao, who is also part of the mangroves protection committee, told TOI: "We will act (on the complaint) as per the finding of the site inspection later this week."
Another city environmentalist and member of the mangroves protection panel, D Stalin, said, "Already three official site inspections have taken place at Eksar village in Borivali, which makes it clear that serious violations have occurred in CRZ-1 areas to build commercial structures. If all the mangroves had been handed over to the forest department after the high court's interim order of Oct 2006 and the final order of Sept 2018, then such blatant encroachments on mangroves could not have taken place."
Mumbai: A city-based environmentalist has sent a reminder to the forest department and state authorities about a complaint he had filed in Nov 2022 on the alleged destruction of mangroves in Borivali's coastal regulation zone (CRZ) for the construction of 2 commercial convention centres and a go-karting track.
Following the reminder by Reji Abraham of United Association for Social Education & Public Welfare Trust, members of the state-monitored mangroves protection committee will undertake a site visit at Eksar village, Borivali, to further inquire into the issue.
"I have been following up on this mangrove encroachment issue for over two years with the authorities. Already, three site visits have taken place, which confirmed that the go-karting track and the two convention centres at Eksar village have come up by destroying mangroves on this CRZ-1 area. However, one more site visit has been planned on Oct 9; and surprisingly, the parties linked to the convention centres and the go-karting have also been called," said Abraham.
Abraham further said two reports of the state mangroves protection committee dated Dec 8 and Dec 30, 2022, have confirmed destruction of mangroves in these CRZ areas. "Hence, if these commercial encroachments are not removed, then it is also a contempt of the Bombay High Court order of Sept 18, 2018—that all mangroves need to be protected and handed over to the forest department," he said.
Additional principal chief conservator of forests (mangrove cell) S V Ramarao, who is also part of the mangroves protection committee, told TOI: "We will act (on the complaint) as per the finding of the site inspection later this week."
Another city environmentalist and member of the mangroves protection panel, D Stalin, said, "Already three official site inspections have taken place at Eksar village in Borivali, which makes it clear that serious violations have occurred in CRZ-1 areas to build commercial structures. If all the mangroves had been handed over to the forest department after the high court's interim order of Oct 2006 and the final order of Sept 2018, then such blatant encroachments on mangroves could not have taken place."