Environmentalists are not happy with Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde`s plan to develop salt pan lands in the city for public use. They claim that if there was any construction on salt pans, it would create a disastrous situation for the city as well as the environment.

In the meeting held on Thursday at Varsungae idea of constructing on salt pans would be disastrous in every way. Explaining further, he said, “Salt pans work as a buffer between land and the sea. High tide water can`t enha Blow, CM Shinde ordered state and civic officials to explore the possibility of using salt pan lands for public purposes. According to environmentalist Anand Pendharkar, thter the city thanks to the salt pans. They also act as water-holding areas during the monsoon, which prevents waterlogging in some parts of the city. The move could result in a rise in the saline water levels in the city’s groundwater, and as these salt pans are surrounded by mangroves, any development will be the end of mangroves and the ecosystem.”