Mumbai News: BMC To Hold Public Hearings For Sanjay Gandhi National Park Master Plan From November 20 To 28

Mumbai, Nov 19: The BMC will begin the public hearing for the zonal master plan (ZMP) of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) for development of Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) from Thursday, November 20 and conclude all the scheduled hearings by November 28. The draft ZMP was published by BMC in September, nine years after the notification from MOEFCC.

5,945 Hectares of SGNP Under ESZ Jurisdiction

Around 5,945 hectares of SGNP fall under the ESZ, which is partially located in the Mumbai suburban and Thane district. Out of the total SGNP area, the biggest portion of 35-km falls under the BMC jurisdiction.

The BMC commissioner is the chairman of the SGNP ESZ monitoring committee and the final plan will also be published by the BMC, and will be applicable for jurisdiction of municipal corporations of Thane, Vasai Virar, Mira Bhayandar and Palghar.

Hearing Scheduled From Nov 20 to 28 at BMC Head Office

The BMC has scheduled the public hearing for different time slots from November 20 to 28 at the office of chief engineer (development plan) located on the fifth floor of BMC head office in Fort.

However, the many tribals and environment activists complain that many of them have not received invitation for the public hearing despite submitting the suggestions/objections via email and in-person. They also raised objections on scattered timings for public hearing, creating confusion.

BMC Says All Objections Will Be Heard by Nov 28

However, a BMC senior officer said everyone who has submitted their suggestions/objections will recieve date and time for public hearing. "The hearing was initially scheduled till December 2, but we have sent revised emails. In this process, it is possible some of them are yet to receive the revised schedule, however, by November 28 everyone will be heard. They can also send email confirmation their time slot."

Activists Allege Confusion in Communication

Yash Aggrawal, from Let India Breath, "The BMC has created whole lot of confusion. I had submitted my objection in writing in-person. Still many like me have recieved invitation for public hearing. At first the BMC did not give email id to submit suggestions/objections for SGNP ZMP. And now the ones who submitted via email have got invitations."

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Tribals Object to Draft Being Published Only in English

The tribals of SGNP had also raised objections that the 353-page draft ZMP was published only in English, making it difficult for them to comprehend in short period of time to submit their suggestions/objections. However, the authorities had clarified that the draft plan cannot be republished in Marathi.

Activists Launch Public Awareness Website

To mobilise larger participation, activists launched a dual-language website — savesgnp.org — that educates people about the draft plan and its possible ecological impact.

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