Cidco pegs value of ‘flamingo lake’ at 3,600cr, greens upset

Navi Mumbai: Residents and activists are questioning the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO)'s decision to peg the real estate value of a 12-hectare wetland that draws flamingos at Rs 3,600 crore and for arguing against granting it a protected status. In a resolution note placed before its governing board last year, Cidco had described the DPS Flamingo Lake area in Nerul as a land parcel earmarked for development. Cidco claimed the 12-hectare site was "wrongly" proposed for conservation despite being tagged for future development in Navi Mumbai's sanctioned plan.The board has authorised the Cidco managing director to take up the issue with the state govt and block a proposal to declare the area as a conservation reserve, documents accessed by TOI show. The state is yet to issue a Govt Resolution (GR) granting it conservation reserve status as announced earlier.In the note, Cidco has argued that, at an estimated market rate of Rs 300 crore per hectare, notifying the site as a conservation reserve would cause a revenue loss of about Rs 3,600 crore. It warned that such a move could affect key infrastructure and development projects in Navi Mumbai. The State Wildlife Board, presided over by CM Devendra Fadnavis himself, had, however, passed a resolution a year ago to conserve the lake, environment NGO NatConnect's director B N Kumar said. Forest minister Ganesh Naik told TOI that he is committed to preserving the wetland. However, the Urban Development Department under which Cidco functions, is apparently not amenable. Cidco has once again stalled Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation's attempt to widen water channels at the lake as per Naik's directive.Free flow of intertidal water, which would rejuvenate the lake, has been interrupted, green groups said. "Cidco is ignoring the fact that the Flamingo Lake figures among wetlands documented by the State Wetland Authority and is part of waterbodies mapped under the National Wetland Atlas," said Kumar.The Cidco note stated that the land in Sector 52, Nerul, formed part of Survey No. 266 of Karave village and is categorised as a "Future Development" zone. Conservationists have argued that the wetland already enjoys protection under a Bombay High Court order. Cidco has contested the order in the Supreme Court."Navi Mumbai has already been developed to its brim. Planners must now focus on open spaces and biodiversity," said Rekha Sankhala, convenor of Save Mangroves & Flamingos Forum. "The city cannot be turned entirely into a concrete jungle," she added.Cidco maintains that the plot lies on the landward side of the High Tide Line and that, under the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan of 2019, most of the parcel is outside Coastal Regulation Zone restrictions.Sandeep Sareen of Navi Mumbai Environment Preservation Society called the argument untenable. "We are aghast that Cidco claims to be a sustainable city planner while overriding environmental protection," he said. He said DPS Lake functioned as a holding pond preventing surrounding neighbourhoods from flooding during heavy rain.
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