The work currently underway for the Bay Coast Waterfront Development by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has run into a fresh controversy with BJP corporator Milind Patankar making serious allegations during a meeting of the standing committee on Friday that the municipality has violated coastal regulation zone (CRZ) rules and dumped soil directly in the high tide area.
Patankar has also raised the issue of destruction of mangroves. He said that the incident took place at Saket and Bhainderpada project sites. In response, standing committee chairman Sanjay Bhoir assured that appropriate action would be taken after inspecting the sites of both the projects.
Waterfront development works have been started in various bay areas of the city under the Smart City project by the TMC for the last few years. However, these works are in dispute for one reason or another. Despite the reversal of the completion period, the work on these projects has not yet been completed. However, the municipality has claimed that the filling was done without violating CRZ rules and without destroying the mangroves. It also demanded that the space be restored as it was, while compensation be recovered from those who have made these mistakes.
