Centre calls for probe into alleged PMAY green violations by CIDCO in Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai: The Centre has asked the Maharashtra Government to probe into the alleged environmental violations in the execution of the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) by state-owned City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) in Navi Mumbai.

This follows environment watchdog NatConnect Foundation’s complaint to the Prime Minister that the construction is taking place “dangerously” close to mangroves and the Panvel creek disregarding global concerns over rising sea levels.

NatConnect Foundation’s concern is that the 10,000 people and scores of small businessmen who will be accommodated at the Kharghar project will permanently be under the threat of tidal wave attacks.

“At a time when we ought to be working on disaster mitigation measures, we are building multi-storeyed residential and commercial complexes close to the sea,” NatConnect director B N Kumar regretted and observed that the so-called town planners do not seem to learn any lessons from unseasonal floods and havoc caused during monsoon along the coastal areas in particular.

CIDCO confirmed to the media that as many as 17 towers would come up at Kharghar alone. Kumar claimed that this is an invitation to disaster.

Kumar filed his complaint on the PM Office Public Grievances (PMOPG) website.

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) has now asked the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) to study the issue and report back.

MOEFCC scientist in CRZ section Dr Raghavan P, who signed the letter dated August 23, pointed out that the States and Union Territories have been authorised to enforce and monitor the Coastal Regulation Zone provisions under the Environment Protection Act, 1986.

He, therefore, asked the member secretary of the MCZMA to examine the extent of the “serious violations” in the execution of the PMAY in Navi Mumbai.

The PMAY projects, particularly in Mansarovar and Kharghar areas have come up in proximity of mangroves, mudflats and inter-tidal wetlands, NatConnect said in its complaint.

Particularly, the compound wall of the Kharghar project on the northern side of the railway station almost touches the mangroves with the distance between the sea plants and the project being 8 metres to 25 metres, the NGO said citing Google Earth maps.

“This is in violation of both the central and state clearances given for the projects,” it said.

The EC summary clearly stated that no mangroves will be affected during construction of the entire project and that the 50-meter buffer line has to be maintained. There is supposed to be thick vegetation of tall trees with foliage along the buffer line to mitigate any fugitive dust emission, etc, towards the mangrove area, NatConnect said.

The 143rd meeting of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority held on February 4, 2020 clearly noted that the projects were partly under CRZ1 and hence CIDCO was prohibited from doing any construction in the 50 metre mangrove buffer zone and to maintain a 100 mtr CRZ setback for the creek.

But the Kharghar project presents a worrying scene as the PMAY buildings have come up in the danger line, Kharghar-based activist Jyoti Nadkarni said.

The compound wall will push the high tide line towards the Panvel creek and this is bound to cause flooding in other areas as water finds its own course and does not go by CIDCO walls, she said.