Yari Road locals file plaint over burning trash near mangroves

Residents of Yari Road, who are already up in arms against dumping on mangrove land, on Tuesday registered a police complaint after garbage was set on fire close to the mangroves behind Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) Institute.

“A few local residents, including Ashok Singhal, were out for an evening walk when, around 6pm, they saw garbage and trash being set on fire. They alerted the cops as well as fire brigade officials and rushed to the site. They found that several bushes and trees were charred and the fire was close to the mangroves,” said Suneet Gandhi of Yari Road Bachao, a citizens group. He added that it was Singhal who registered an FIR at Versova police station.

Vijay Ullal, another resident and member of the group, said it was sad that a place that can be converted into a mangrove park had become a major garbage dump over the years. During winters, several fires are reported and the idea was to clear the bushes, trees as well as mangroves and encroach the land.

Meanwhile, actor Randeep Hooda took to Twitter on Tuesday, stating how squatters in the protected mangroves were systematically burning trees down to claim more land. “The Collector, BMC chief and Aaditya Thackeray himself have visited to little effect..its business as usual. who’s incharge??,” tweeted Hooda.

Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (APCCF) Mangrove Cell, N Vasudevan, said, ““I have received complaints from the residents of the area and asked them to meet me. Though this the land comes under the Collector’s jurisdiction, we will ask our field staff to visit the site and patrol and will write to the suburban collector over mangrove destruction.”