Mumbai: The BMC’s department plan has received more than 100 suggestions/objections towards the draft zonal master plan for any development in the Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). These exclude the ones received by the municipal corporations of Navi Mumbai, Thane, Mira Bhayandar, Vasai Virar and Palghar collector. The public hearing towards these suggestions/objections is expected next month. Around 5945 hectares of SGNP fall under the ESZ, which is partially located in the Mumbai suburban and Thane districts.
“The public hearing will be held by the respective municipal corporations. At the BMC, it is scheduled post-Diwali. The forest department is forming the ESZ committee. The other municipal corporations will send the public suggestions/objections considered to the BMC after they hold their respective hearings. Under the guidance of the ESC committee, BMC will prepare the final zonal master plan for the SGNP,” a senior BMC officer told the FPJ on Tuesday.
After the BMC notified the 400-page-long draft last month, the environment activists slammed it, saying the plan does not do any justice towards the conservation of ecology and the environment. Some activists also said that the draft was notified only because the Bombay High Court stayed rehabilitation of encroachers in SGNP unless the Zonal Master Plan is finalised.
Environment activist Zoru Bhathena said that several provisions for the protection of Aarey are missing in the Draft zonal master plan and that it does nothing for conservation. “The plan should provide for restoration of denuded areas, conservation of existing water bodies, soil and moisture conservation, needs of local community etc. The list of “regulated activities” allows all types of construction activity. This itself goes against the very framework of the ESZ, which is to conserve & protect the ESZ area. Development activities are permitted in ESZ- but only for the livelihood of the local communities and not for commercial exploitation.”
In fact, the tribals living in and around SGNP had expressed their inability to adhere to this deadline for submitting their suggestions/objections, as the master plan was released only in English. Some of the objections raised include: lawed sub-zoning opens ESZ for real estate development, defeating the buffer zone purpose; exclusion of 27 Adivasi padas, incorrectly labelled as 'slums', vague eco-tourism definition allows hotels/resorts construction, no strategy to protect crucial wildlife corridors, polluting industries not properly defined or restricted, among others.
The draft has been prepared nine long years after the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) notification. The draft is prepared by the BMC’s Development Plan department and will be applicable for the municipal corporations of Thane, Mira Bhayandar, Vasai Virar and Palghar district. The Principal Secretary (Forest) informed the BMC in 2021 that the Mumbai Municipal Commissioner is the chairperson of the monitoring committee and shall prepare and submit the zonal master plan of the ESZ for the SGNP.
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