Official report backs environmentalists, rejects CIDCO’s claim that wetlands are not natural lakes
The Maharashtra Mangrove Cell has officially declared that the T S Chanakya, NRI Complex wetlands, and DPS Lake are legitimate water bodies, countering long-standing claims by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) that these are not natural lakes but areas where water merely accumulated over time, reported hindustantimes.com.
CIDCO’s development plans face setback as forest department affirms ecological value of wetlands.
CIDCO has for years sought to auction off the 37-hectare land parcels along Palm Beach Road, aiming to commercially exploit these plots for residential and commercial development. However, the latest forest department report, submitted by Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (APCCF) S. V. Ramarao on April 30, lends strong support to environmentalists’ concerns that the wetlands are ecologically significant and under threat from unchecked urbanization.
The report, based on a December 2023 inspection and the 2015 Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre map, confirms that the TS Chanakya Lake and NRI Complex area have been consistent water bodies for at least a decade. It also noted that these zones lie within 50 meters of mangrove forests, thereby enjoying additional environmental protection under existing laws.
Environmentalists call on CIDCO to withdraw land auctions and protect fragile ecosystems
Environmentalists Sunil Agrawal and Bharat Bhushan Gupta, who filed a formal complaint in May 2024 through Law Global Associates, expressed concern about CIDCO’s continued attempts to auction off the plots, warning that development in these areas would severely harm biodiversity, particularly the habitat of flamingos. DPS Lake was declared a Conservation Reserve in April, further strengthening protections.
The complaint also highlighted the illegal felling of around 125 mangroves in the area last year, which is now under investigation. Agrawal noted that the recent report will be presented as key evidence in the ongoing Special Leave Petition filed by CIDCO and a private developer in court. “This report confirms what we have been saying for years. CIDCO must now withdraw the sale of these plots and respect the ecological value of these wetlands,” he said.