Allege Palm Beach Road ecosystem threatened

The environmentalists have raised alarm over the relentless destruction of mangroves at the vicinity of sector 6, Palm Beach Road in Nerul. Despite lodging complaints with the Vigilance department of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), including reports of illegal encroachments and mangrove cutting, residents lament the lack of action from authorities.

Chandramohan Gaikwad, a resident living near Nerul Signal opposite the mangrove belt, has been a witness to this destruction for several weeks. He highlights the brazen burning of mangroves on CIDCO land in broad daylight, with no signs of apprehension from the perpetrators. Alongside fellow residents Surendra M and Satish Shah, Gaikwad has escalated the issue to CIDCO, the Forest Department, the Kokan Mangroves Grievance Cell, and other relevant authorities.

Expressing his distress, Gaikwad stated, "I have raised concerns regarding the unauthorized cutting and burning of mangroves at Palm Beach Road near Nerul Traffic Signal, Sector -6. I have observed this activity since mid-February. A significant fire outbreak on the evening of March 12th destroyed a vast area of the mangrove belt, flagrantly violating environmental regulations and posing a grave threat to our ecosystem."

Sunil Agrawal, founder of the Save Navi Mumbai Environment group, has spearheaded citizens' protests against the ongoing mangrove destruction in the city. Agrawal and his team suspect a conspiracy involving builders' nexus, despite the legal protection afforded to mangrove belts under the Environment Protection Act 1986. He expressed skepticism about the future of the mangrove area, citing CIDCO's failure to hand over protected lands to the Forest Department, even years after a Bombay High Court judgment in September 2018.

The destruction of mangroves, witnessed previously in Pocket A, Sector 60, Nerul, has raised further concerns.