This would help allow rehabilitation of eligible slum dwellers under Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, as well as fencing of mangrove cover to protect it from future encroachments.
In yet another bid to tackle mangrove destruction along Dahisar Link Road's Ganpat Patil Nagar by illegal slum dwellers, the local legislator has proposed a joint survey of the area encroached upon and sought a buffer zone to protect the mangroves.
This would help allow rehabilitation of eligible slum dwellers under Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, as well as fencing of mangrove cover to protect it from future encroachments.
Dahisar MLA Manisha Chaudhary on Thursday said that she has already held meetings with top officials from SRA and will be meeting housing minister Prakash Mehta next week to speed up the project.
"It will be the first complete land survey of Ganpat Patil Nagar for which SRA officials have already paid Rs 15.15 lakh to special land acquisition officer (SLO). We have requested the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority to provide buffer zone demarcation from the mangroves to get a clear picture of the area encroached upon," she said.
Meanwhile, in a meeting at R-North ward office, the MLA discussed plans with a group of local activists.
"It's simple. All the encroachments in the buffer area have to be demolished. The next procedure will be identification of those that are eligible for housing under SRA," said Chaudhary.
She added that the mangrove cell officials have been asked to build a bund (wall) equipped with solar lights and CCTV cameras to prevent encroachment.
Harish Pandey, president of New Link Road Residents Forum (NLRRF), said, "As citizens who have been fighting to save mangroves, we want that there should be no further mangrove destruction, and about the proposed SRA, we are in touch with our MLA."
WILD GROWTH
An RTI reply says there were 404 hutments at Ganpat Patil Nagar before 1995 and 1,068 between then and 2000. But today there are over 20,000, and they continue to grow. Most have been created after dumping debris on mangroves.
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