Mumbai: Citizens' Group Urges Centre To Ensure Environmental Compliance In Proposed Film City Redevelopment

Mumbai: A citizen's group has urged the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to ensure that the proposed redevelopment of the

521-acre Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari (Film City) at Goregaon (East) complies with all environmental laws, particularly those governing the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the adjoining Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP).

In a representation submitted on Thursday to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and senior ministry officials, the the Watchdog Foundation expressed concern over the proposed redevelopment of the 521-acre government-owned Film City campus, which borders the national park.

The foundation noted that parts of the Film City fall within the notified Eco-Sensitive Zone surrounding SGNP, created under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, to safeguard the park's fragile ecosystem by regulating development in the surrounding area.

The representation stated that any redevelopment involving expansion, change in land use, construction of new infrastructure or increase in built-up area should be examined in accordance with the Environment (Protection) Act, the Eco-Sensitive Zone notification for SGNP, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006, wherever applicable. It also called for adherence to directions issued by the Supreme Court, the National Green Tribunal and other judicial forums concerning protected areas.

The NGO requested the ministry to ascertain whether the redevelopment falls wholly or partly within the notified ESZ and to ensure that no environmental clearance or approval is granted without full compliance with statutory provisions.

It further urged the ministry to examine whether the project requires appraisal by the appropriate Expert Appraisal Committee, the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife or any other statutory authority.

Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of the foundation also called for a comprehensive assessment of the redevelopment's potential impact on wildlife habitats, ecological corridors, hydrology, biodiversity, vegetation, traffic, noise, light pollution and cumulative environmental effects. It sought transparency in the approval process by placing statutory studies, maps and environmental assessments in the public domain wherever required by law.

Describing the proposed redevelopment of the campus adjoining one of India's largest urban national parks as environmentally significant, the Watchdog Foundation said the highest standards of environmental scrutiny should be maintained before any irreversible development is permitted.

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