Mumbai: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has released the draft Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) map for Panvel and Uran in Raigad district. Environmentalists have claimed that thick mangroves areas in Taloja, Kamothe and Gharapuri Island have been marked as Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) II — areas that have already been developed up to or close to the shoreline where authorised constructions are allowed — enabling developers to work in the area. They highlighted that Gharapuri Island, which is renowned for its centuries-old Elephanta caves, needs to be preserved as an open space and kept away from any development.
The maps were published online on the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) website and covers the areas under the jurisdiction of the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). “We are shocked that the entire Gharpuri Island known for the Elephanta Caves, which have been carved out of rock, have been notified as CRZ II (Urban). The smaller island also besides the said island has been similarly marked as CRZ II. Both of them should come under CRZ III area which are relatively undisturbed,” said Godfrey Pimenta, civic activist and trustee of NGO Watchdog Foundation. The NGO has also written to the district collector of Raigad and MPCB on the matter.
Gharpuri Island has a population of about 1,200, where the inhabitants are mainly involved in rice farming and fishing “Quite recently, a small dam has been built so as to hold rainwater, but that part of the island is privately owned and not accessible for tourists. The village of Morabandar on the island has a thick forest cover. The same will be opened for development and become a concrete jungle. This environmental destruction has to be stopped or else it will ruin the history of this great island,” read the NGO letter.
“The demarcation of Elephanta caves island as CRZ II will only pave way for further constructions of hotels and resorts as the FSI will increase. The island does not even have any infrastructure or roads. How can they mark it as CRZ II,” asked Stalin Dayanand, project director, Vanashakti, an NGO.
Moreover, areas such as Vaghivali, Pendar and Navandekhar, which has thick presence of mangroves have been marked CRZ II. Officials from the MCZMA stated that the draft maps are open to suggestion and objections. “Elephanta caves have been marked according to its distance from the High Tide Line. Any suggestions and objections to the draft map are welcomed,” said an MCZMA official.
