Navi Mumbai: Rights panel pulls up top babus over Parsik Hill digging

The Maharashtra Human Rights Commission has summoned top state officials and the Navi Mumbai police on the basis of a midday report highlighting alleged illegal digging at Parsik Hill Belapur The report pointed to a series of complaints to the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray by nonprofit NatConnect Foundation raising concerns over potential dangers to the hill if digging continued unabatedThe state environment department has already informed the NGO that no green clearance was given for cutting the Parsik Hill slopesThe Commission headed by Justice K K Tated with M A Sayeed as member has cited the report and remarked that negligence on the part of officials has affected the human rights of several persons It has asked the officials to appear before it on December 2Also read Navi Mumbai Land on top of Parsik hill being dug illegally say activistsDigging underway at Parsik Hill Activists say this will seriously damage the ecology of the areaGreen groups and local activists have welcomed the suo moto cognisance by the Commission and hoped that steps would be taken to restore the original beauty of the ecologically sensitive Parsik HillIn its complaints to the then CM NatConnect Foundation had highlighted alleged illegal digging of the hillmdashunder the guise of beautification on one occasion and another by unidentified people ldquoWe questioned the need to dig the Parsik slopes on the eastern side facing CIDCO Bhavan and destroy and burn existing greenery in Februaryrdquo said NatConnect director B N KumarAccording to the NGO the CMO through at least four emails asked the secretaries of the environment urban development and forest departments as well as the Thane collector to look into the complaints but there was no response from anyoneParsik Greens convenor Vishnu Joshi had also shown the damages done to local ward officer Dr Mithali Sancheti when she visited the site ldquoIt is an understatement to say that we are shockedrdquo said Joshi who is a local residentKumar and Joshi are upbeat about the Commissionrsquos action Activists said the cut portion of the hill can be seen from the SionPanvel Highway yet no official took any action to stop the brazen violationldquoCIDCO allotted over 200 plots on top of the Parsik Hill of which at least 100 have residential and commercial buildings These could be in danger if the hill develops landslides due to the cutting with heavy JCB machinesrdquo said Jayant Thakur president of the local residentsrsquo associationThe association secretary Rajendra Lokhande said a landslide has already impacted the water control room at the foot of the hill close to the digging siteB N Kumar said police subinspector Deepak Gavit from Belapur has confirmed that the Navi Mumbai commissionerrsquos office has received the Commissionrsquos summons ldquoHe Gavit has already started recording the statements and obtaining reports from various officials These would be submitted to the HRC Commission before December 2 when the next hearing is scheduledrdquo Kumar saidDec 2When the Commission will hear the matter next