Environmentalist claims Belapur hill’s eastern side being cut into for school project; it faced a similar threat from a builder in ’22
A picture taken by a resident shows cutting activity on Parsik Hill
Navi Mumbai-based environmentalists have alleged that Parsik Hill is in danger again with huge machines cutting into the foot of the hill to develop a plot for a school. NGO NatConnect Foundation has written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, claiming that the eastern side of the hill in Sectors 30 and 31 of CBD Belapur is being ‘dangerously cut’.
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According to NatConnect Foundation, a document in its possession shows that City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has allotted a 4,139 sqm plot to Shri Dnyaneshwar Mauli Sanstha of Gothivali for a school project.
NatConnect director B N Kumar said, “There is absolutely no objection to the school, but the sad part is that the plot touches the foot of Parsik Hill and the machines have started cutting parts of it. Videos and pictures taken by locals are proof of it. The CIDCO should be sensitive about the environmental impact of cutting any part of the hill.”
A structure on Parsik Hill
In 2022, activists objected to cutting the hill from the middle under the guise of beautification. The Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission took suo motu cognisance of the issue, which resulted in CIDCO taking action against the builder.
“The same scenario is repeating now literally under CIDCO’s nose,” said Vishnu Joshi, a resident of Parsik Greens building. Joshi claimed that he noticed official markings on the hilly portion of the school plot. “Over 100 occupied buildings stand on the hill and they are bound to be affected if the hill is cut,” said Jayant Thakur, president of Parsik Hills Residents Association.
Activist Sudhir Dani, too, regretted that the CIDCO does not seem to care for the hill. The activists recalled that a landslide on the hill in 2022 damaged the water supply monitoring centre during monsoon. “I wonder if the projects being developed so close to the hill will be safe,” Kumar said.
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No of occupied structures on Parsik Hill
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