NAVI MUMBAI: Following allegations of massive mangrove land grab along Vashi creek, forest officials, along with local mangrove cell, have demolished 150 illegal shanties that had come up on nearly four hectares of land at Vashi and Turbhe after hacking more than 17,000 mangrove plants over the last two decades.
According to Sudhir Manjare, range forest officer of the Navi Mumbai Mangrove Cell, the mangrove damage has caused a loss of nearly Rs 1.3 crore. The local mangrove cell arrested six people in connection with the mangrove land grab racket, but they were later released by Belapur Judicial First-Class Magistrate on personal bonds of Rs 15,000 each.
Manjare said the encroachers had been using the mangrove land for the last 20 years for crab farming and renting out the shanties to people. "According to our calculation, at least 4,500 mangrove plants could be accommodated in one hectare. Nearly four hectares of land was in the possession of the mafia that dumped debris and created bunds to systematically kill the marine plants," he added.
Manjare pointed out that the Vashi location had dense to sparse mangroves and Turbhe artificial pond, dense plants as per the Maharashtra Remote Sensing and Application map of 2005. He also produced in court a list of 44 slum tenants who were allegedly paying monthly rent of Rs 1,500-Rs 2,000 each. The alleged land grabbers have kept six huts for themselves.
Meanwhile, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation razed around 225 shanties in Vashi.
NGO NatConnect Foundation's director B N Kumar described the Vashi mangrove land grab as a tip of the iceberg of a racket flourishing across Navi Mumbai. "Land sharks manage to go scot-free despite several complaints being lodged for over the last few years. We are providing leads to the forest department to crack the whip on those with vested interests," Kumar added.
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