Activists to protest against illegal buildings at Belapur Hills in Navi Mumbai on Feb 22

Navi Mumbai: Environmental groups — Save Belapur Hills Forum and NatConnect Foundation have demanded the immediate enforcement of no-development norms on the landslide-prone Belapur Hills.Activists will hold a ‘Human Chain' awareness campaign at Mahakali Chowk near CBD-Belapur bus depot on Feb 22. The activists said their concern followed billboards across Belapur announcing a foundation day event on Saturday by a trust which, as per Cidco's legal and official records, figured in the list of encroachers.
In an open letter, they referred to Cidco's earlier attempt to initiate demolition in July 2024 during the monsoon, which it described as "cosmetic" and which was subsequently halted due to landslide fears. Cidco wrote to NMMC and MSEB seeking disconnection of water and power supply to the illegal structures, but those measures remained largely on paper, the activists alleged. Kapil Kulkarni, a member of the Forum, said, "The Sunday Human Chain is organised to protest against the environmental degradation and administrative apathy. Despite clear directives from the State Human Rights Commission to Cidco and NMMC authorities in Aug 2024 to remove the illegal encroachments, no concrete action has been taken to date.