Mumbai: When it comes to any kind of development, the environment usually pays the price. The 350 acres of Kandalvan in the Andheri-Lokhandwala area are facing destruction due to debris dumping, with neither the municipal corporation nor the police taking action.
This inaction has raised suspicions of a conspiracy to facilitate builders’ access to this land, as emphasized by Shiv Sena UBT leader and MLA Anil Parab, who has vowed that Shiv Sena will resist this plan.
Despite local complaints, government agencies have ignored ongoing dumping operations, wherein over 2,000 trucks are dumping debris daily, while an earthen wall surrounds the mangrove area. Local officials, including Parab and MLA Harun Khan, quickly visited the site upon learning of the land grab and confirmed its illegality, according to report by Saamana.
Parab directly communicated with the media after witnessing the destruction, accusing the government of complicity in the crime against the mangrove forest. He highlighted that he previously raised concerns in the Legislative Council about the illegal activities.
After intervention by Environment Minister Pankaja Munde, it was acknowledged that the Lokhandwala area is a buffer zone, prohibiting construction within 50 meters of the mangroves. However, despite these warnings, debris dumping continued.
Out of the 350 acres, the Maharashtra government has allotted 35 acres to the National Law University and another 35 acres to Usha Madhu Developers, amounting to 70 acres de-notified for development. This conversion threatens to change the status of the mangrove area from a non-development zone to a development zone, intensifying concerns over environmental degradation. Parab criticized the government for enabling this transformation and emphasized the urgency of protecting the mangrove ecosystem from further devastation.
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