Navi Mumbai News: MCZMA Seeks Urgent Report On Alleged CRZ Violations At CIDCO’s Kharghar PMAY Project After Activist Complaint

Navi Mumbai: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has written to the Raigad district collector, asking him to verify and submit a detailed report within seven days on alleged environmental violations at the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) housing project in Kharghar, being executed by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

The latest correspondence — marked as Reminder 2 and signed by Under Secretary Vishal Madane on November 3, 2025 — notes that despite earlier communications dated October 9 and November 21, 2024, no response has been received from the collector’s office.

The letter follows a complaint filed by environmental activist B. N. Kumar of NatConnect, which was initially forwarded to the state by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) on August 23, 2024.

Complaint Flags Violations Near Mangroves, Creekline

The complaint alleges serious environmental violations in the execution of the ambitious PMAY housing clusters at Mansarovar and Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, including possible breaches of mangrove buffer norms and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) guidelines.

The MCZMA has once again requested the collector, who also chairs the District Coastal Zone Management Committee (DCZMC), to verify the allegations, take appropriate action, and submit a factual, detailed action-taken report to the Authority within a week.

Activists Warn of Coastal Risks, Mangrove Loss

NatConnect director B. N. Kumar said the group’s concerns arise from the increasing coastal erosion and sea-level rise being witnessed along Navi Mumbai’s shorelines. “Unchecked construction close to natural buffers like mangroves can worsen the long-term impacts of flooding and salinity intrusion,” he said.

Environmental experts have echoed similar apprehensions about the project’s proximity to the high tide line. “Building this close to the tideline interferes with the way coastal systems breathe,” said Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hills and Wetlands Forum. She cautioned that constricting natural buffers could cause tidal rebound, increasing flood risks for surrounding communities.

Portions of Site Fall in CRZ-I, Says MCZMA

The MCZMA, during its 143rd meeting on February 4, 2020, had earlier observed that portions of the PMAY site fall under CRZ-I, where construction within the mangrove buffer is prohibited, and that a minimum 100-metre setback from the creek is mandatory.

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Letter Copied to Environment Secretary, Activist

The latest letter has also been copied to the Secretary (Environment) and Chairperson of MCZMA, as well as to the complainant, NatConnect’s B. N. Kumar.

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