Now,mangroves being burnt to reclaim land….Simit Bhagat
Miscreants Devise New Way To Destroy Green Patch
Miscreants Devise New Way To Destroy Green Patch
Mumbai: Over 400 acres of mangroves on the New Link Road in Dahisar (W) are still under threat.Residents said there are fresh instances of miscreants burning mangroves to clear the land.
Locals said this was an attempt to clear the mangroves against the January 31 Supreme Court order directing a developer,Jayesh Shah,to remove debris around the mangrove land and open up bunds within 60 days.
In the past two days,the number of mangrove trees being burnt down has increased.Little has been done to clear the debris too, Harish Pandey,an activist from the New Link Road Residents Association said.On February 23,a team comprising subdivisional officer (Mumbai suburban district),a tehsildar,a senior forest department official,and police and civic officials visited the survey (site) number 344 adjoining the Gorai creek.The team found that debris had not been removed and the culverts continued to choke the mangroves.Later on,they submitted a report to the Mumbai suburban collector.
Until now,there were attempts to destroy the mangrove by stopping the flow of water.But now,mangroves being burnt is an evident attempt to reclaim the green patch, said Dr Matthew P,another activist,adding that already around 50 acres of mangroves have been destroyed due to the dumping of construction waste on it.
* SPOT OF BOTHER: A patch of burnt mangroves near Gorai creek
* SPOT OF BOTHER: A patch of burnt mangroves near Gorai creek