In a big victory for bird and nature lovers fighting to save the famous Lokhandwala lake, Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday instructed the Mangroves Cell to declare it a forest. The lake is a birding paradise, thanks to the sighting of several migratory and local  species there.

This World Environment Day, June 5, environmentalist and naturalist Sunjoy Monga had  also written a letter to Thackeray  and appealed to him to help save the Lokhandwala lake which is  spread over barely a few acres. Monga had also highlighted how the lake was literally assaulted by illegal fishing gangs who are at work the entire day, carrying away sacks full of fish. He had alleged that their actions have driven away most of the birds.