Mumbai: The mangrove cell will be undertaking a demolition drive in encroached mangrove locations across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, said officials. Around 3,000 illegal structures are under the cell’s scanner in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Following the high court order of March 24, wherein the court dismissed a petition seeking a stay on demolition of illegal structures in Malvani, the cell claimed that the order is applicable to all encroached sites. The high court order stated that the petitioners will have to present a suit to prove the right, title and interest in the property which includes the structures in question. Officials claimed that they could have initiated the demolition sooner but were waiting for the schools exams to conclude.
“Three hectares of land in Malvani has been illegally encroached and now the encroachers are claiming right over the land. Now that the high court has established the required protocols to establish the rights over such land to prevent demolition of illegal structures, we will be resuming the demolition of such structures,” said Makarand Ghodke, assistant conservator of forest, state mangrove cell.
“We were waiting for the final year school exams to get over which is why we had not carried out a demolition drive across the affected places,” added Mr Ghodke.
Officials have stated that the high court’s dismissal on the petition is a huge relief for the city’s mangroves as around 13.5 hectares of mangroves remains encroached. The state mangrove cell has marked the deadline of May 2018 to complete the remaining demolition of 3,000 illegal shanties and structures.
Approximately 3,809 illegal structures were demolished in 2016-2017 at Charkop, Colaba, Mandale in Mankhurd, Chheda Nagar in Chembur and Malad, while 299 complaints of mangrove destruction and encroachment were received in 2017.
