Cidco slammed over illegal debris dumping

Mumbai: The Bombay high court has issued notice to City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) and the collector of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation in a petition alleging that a pond admeasuring six hectare is being illegally filled up with debris by the Cidco. The court, while giving its interim order, has asked the collector to send their officers on location and stop the illegal filling of the pond.

A bench of Justices A.S. Oka and R.I. Chagla, while hearing the petition filed by NGO, Abhivyakti, directed Cidco and the concerned civic authority to stop until further orders, all ongoing work in the area.

 The petitioner  said that about six hectare area in sectors 18 and 19 in Kharghar, which houses a pond and wetlands, was being illegally used to dump garbage and construction debris. The plea claimed that such dumping of debris was being done “at the instance of Cidco” that was carrying out some reclamation work in the area since April this year.

 Advocate Jha told the bench that several concerned residents from the area had approached the local police and the court-appointed wetlands’ committee. While the latter held that such dumping of debris by Cidco was illegal, and directed the agency to stop doing the same immediately, Cidco is yet to implement the committee’s decision.