In a concerted drive over the past three weeks, the State government’s Mangrove Cell has cleared encroachments on nearly 10 hectares of land under mangroves. The department is pulling out all stops to clear encroachments before the monsoon arrives, and land cleared is being cordoned off with compound walls.
In the past two weeks, the Mangrove Cell has cleared encroachments at Chheda Nagar, Charkop, Chembur and Colaba, in the process removing over 2,000 huts and other settlements. Similar action will continue in areas in and around Mumbai till May 31.
“There was a major problem of encroachments on mangrove land, and we were waiting for all types of permissions from the State government before taking action," N. Vasudevan, Chief Conservator (Forests), Mangrove Cell, said.
He added, “The mangroves are vulnerable as the rising population means people are looking for place to live. This leads to encroachment. The mangroves has its ecosystem, which should be protected. We decided to carry out an eviction drive with support from the police and BMC officials."
The cell removed over 1,200 huts in Ambedkar Nagar in Colaba, while 800 huts in Chheda Nagar, over 200 in Charkop and 400 in Chembur were taken down. The city and its suburbs have a mangrove cover of 4,000 hectare, while Navi Mumbai has 1,471 hectare of mangrove forest.
The Mangrove Cell’s work, however, does not end with removing encroachments, as chances are high that they could return. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has allocated over ₹86 crore to the Mangrove Cell, of which ₹10 crore is to be spent on constructing protective walls around mangrove land.
“In some areas, we will be erecting wire mesh fences while there will be a proper wall at other locations. The decisions are based on previous instances of encroachment and the tendency to use mangrove land for work unrelated to forestry,” Mr. Vasudevan said.
