Nerul: Close on the heels of thwarting CIDCO’s attempts to reclaim the Lotus Lake in sector 27, Nerul, concerned citizens and environmental activists renewed their resolve to conserve the waterbody.

On June 8, about 50-plus people gathered at the lake as part of the Chalo Lotus Lake – A Collective Stand for Nature, which the organisers said ‘was not a protest, but a celebration of nature and a heartfelt thank you to all citizens, journalists, officials, and environmental champions who played a role in defending Lotus Lake from irreversible damage by vested interests’.

The activists decided to continue legal and civic action to ensure the waterbody’s status remained unchanged.

The group also decided to file an Intervention Application (IA) in the Hon’ble Supreme Court for contempt of its order mandating protection of all wetlands listed in the National Wetlands Atlas.

Further, it was also decided to file IAs in the Hon’ble Bombay High Court for violations and contempt of court orders in the public interest litigation pertaining to wetland protection.

It was also decided to pursue the complaint with the police regarding illegal dumping and destruction of Lotus Lake. The group also decided to follow up with Vijay Singhal, CIDCO vice chairman and MD, urging immediate action to remove the debris dumped in the lake and restore the broken fencing caused by CIDCO’s contractor.

The participants thanked the Wetlands Grievances Redressal Committee for swiftly halting ongoing destruction at the site, acting on complaints raised by environmentalist Stalin Dayanand and others, Save Navi Mumbai Environment group founder Sunil Agrawal said. 

People from all walks of life and age groups participated in the meeting. The highlight of the programme was Moiz Tankiwala who came along with his wife and two children to express solidarity with the cause and fight for the last remaining wetlands of Navi Mumbai.