The forest department claimed that they have been waiting for over eight months for the BMC to give them a No Objection Certificate (NOC), stating that there was no claims of tribals pending under Forest Right Act (FRA) on the land where the parking lot has been proposed.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) and BMC seem to be at loggerheads over a parking facility to be built by the state forest department outside the main gate on the Borivli side.
The forest department claimed that they have been waiting for over eight months for the BMC to give them a No Objection Certificate (NOC), stating that there was no claims of tribals pending under Forest Right Act (FRA) on the land where the parking lot has been proposed. The BMC officials, however, claim that the forest department did not approach the "right officials". However, the matter will be taken up at the general body meeting on May 2.
"There is only one parking area proposed outside SGNP's main gate, and it will be built by demolishing the existing Krishnagiri garden. It will accommodate 255 cars and 125 two-wheelers. This area was demarcated for setting up sheds and charging units for 20 Battery Operated Vehicles (BOV) that will be provided by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) as part of a MoU," said Anwar Ahmed, Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF) and Director, SGNP.
With the proposal stuck with BMC, and MTDC questioning the over one-and-a-half-year delay, SGNP officials say they no option but to build a temporary parking facility inside the park near the police chowky.
Shiv Sena Councillor Sheetal Mhatre said she has been helping the forest department. "Initially they thought that the ward committee will hand over the NOC, but I told them that the resolution can be only passed in the house. It is not our fault that they have been knocking on the wrong doors," she said.
Meanwhile sources in BMC said that they were not surprised with the delay. “When it comes to our proposals the forest department takes its own sweet time. In fact even corporators are upset with forest department for not granting them permissions to build toilets and other facilities in several areas where there are encroachment,” said the source.
Gopal Jhaveri, activist who stays near the park said that even if SGNP wants to build a parking area for the BOV's there should be no concretisation carried out. “Ideally the forest department should wait for BMC to give them NOC and build the parking lot at its designated place. Building a temporary parking space will only be a waste of public money,” he said.
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