Mangroves destroyed near Thane helipad: Environmentalist files complaint

A fresh environmental controversy has erupted in Thane after Rohit Joshi environmentalist and member of the Wetland Grievance Redressal Committee lodged a complaint alleging destruction of mangroves and reclamation of land near the helipad at Rabodi Thane west The plot in question is located adjacent to the police groundWho has received the complaintJoshi has taken the fight to the authorities and complained about the environmental loot to the Principal Secretary ndash Environment Department of Maharashtra Mangrove Cell of the Forest Department Collector of Thane Thane police commissioner Municipal Commissioner ndash Thane and other government departmentsThe patch of wet land that has been filled up with debris PicSpecial ArrangementJoshi is no stranger to showdowns between citizens and powers and has been fighting to save the forest and mangroves in Thane for more than a decade In his complaint to the authorities he has alleged that debris is being dumped on these wetlands with the intention of carving out a road After Joshirsquos complaints the forest department and revenue department both conducted a joint panchanama at the siteldquoThe land where the illegal dumping is taking place comes under the jurisdiction of the Thane police commissioner The authorities have violated Sections 15 and 19 of the Environment Protection Actrdquo said Joshi As locals gathered there when dumping was underway Joshi said one of the most atrocious justifications was offered by the police ldquoThe officials told us that this debris dumping was in lieu of a lsquomass Miyawaki plantation driversquo after locals raised objectionsrdquo he addedThis has happened beforeIn his complaint Joshi said that this is not the first time the area has seen violations ldquoA similar CRZ offense was recorded on April 9 2018 raising concerns that agencies responsible for enforcing environmental laws are instead enabling ecological damagerdquo said Joshi Joshi told Sunday midday that there is a longpending Bombay High Court order directing that all governmentowned mangrove lands be transferred to the Forest Department but he says that the same remains unimplemented in ThaneAccording to the environmentalist the delay has emboldened many to repeat such violations and weak enforcement until a decision is made ldquoI have also submitted geotagged photos videos satellite imagery CRZ maps and documents related to the earlier 2018 EPA caseThe work should be stopped and an inquiry into the role of police officials restoration of the damaged area and strict legal action against those responsible should be done For better protection the administration should expedite the transfer of mangrove land to the Forest Departmentrdquo he added Despite attempts to reach out to TMC and Thane police officials remained unavailable for commentlsquoMiyawaki is a eyewashrsquoEnvironmentalist Stalin D from NGO Vanashakti saidrdquoThe Thane police have illegally dumped debris in a CRZ area to facilitate the construction of a road leading to a helipad and are now claiming it was done for miyawaki plantation This is a clear violation of CRZ regulations We have lodged complaints with the concerned authorities yet no action has been taken so far The police are making an additional road by reclaiming the creekside by dumping mud on mangroves and coastal intertidal areardquoMangrove cover in IndiaAs per recent Indian State of Forest report ISFR 2023 India has a total mangrove cover of 499168 square km which is 015 per cent of the countryrsquos total geographical area There has been a net increase of 36368 square km 786 per cent in mangrove cover area of the country in 2023 as compared to 2013 and net increase of 50968 square km 114 per cent between 2001 and 2023Species of mangroves found in IndiaImportant species of mangrove ecosystem in India include Avicennia alba Bruguiera cylindrica Heritiera littoralis Phoenix paludosa morinda citrifolia and ceriops tagal Sundarbans located in the northern Bay of Bengal is the worldrsquos largest single patch of mangrove forest It is spread over approximately 10000 square kilometres in Bangladesh and IndiaThane Mangrove coverAs per 2023 ISFR report the mangrove cover in Thane was 4893 square km which if compared to the 2021 report is a decrease by 093 square kmDid you knowSundarbans is the first mangrove forest in the world which was brought under scientific management as early as 1892