The Mangrove cell axed 1,296 illegal structures; Last-minute petition filed in HC against demolition rejected
In a day full of twists and turns, the State Forest department's Mangrove Cell managed to complete one of its biggest demolition drives till date by razing 1,296 illegal structures at Cuffe Parade, which were built encroaching on the mangroves.
According to sources, in Mangrove cell on Saturday with heavy police presence ensured that attempts to disrupt law and order by some people in Ganesh Murty Nagar were thwarted. A last-minute petition filed by few locals in the Bombay High Court against the demolitions was also rejected in the evening.
"Demolition of illegal structures began on May 3. These had been systematically built over a period of years by first setting up bamboo stilts in mangroves and then dumping debris to destroy the mangroves, and finally with concrete structures. Also, several people who owned the structures on the landward side built these structures and showed the same documents to claim these as old structures," said Makarand Ghodke, Assistant Conservator of Forest (ACF) Mangrove Cell.
After completing the demolitions, the Cell has placed security guards at the site.
"We will be installing a temporary boundary wall to prevent anyone from entering the demolition site. A concrete wall, that has been planned, will be built once tenders are awarded so that no further encroachment can take place. All the debris too will also be removed," said Ghodke. BJP councillor Makarand Narvekar said that a lot of people, whose houses were demolished, met him during his visit and showed him documents that established that they have been living there before 2000.
"The forest department informed me that they had sent notices almost a year and a half back and I fail to understand why they delayed the demolitions for so long. Also the timings of the demolitions are quite strange as it comes when Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects are being cleared in the area," he said.
Systematic ruin
The extent of destruction of mangroves by the land sharks at Ganesh Murty Nagar is baffling
It is surprising that the government authorities allowed almost over 7 hectares of lush mangroves to be destroyed sytematically.
Mangroves are buffers between the land and not only help prevent soil erosion but also act as a catalyst in reclaiming land from seas.
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