Navi Mumbai NGO urges Maharashtra CM to allow mangrove plantations close to new Vashi bridge

NAVI MUMBAI: Navi Mumbai's NGO NatConnect that takes up causes of environment and nature has mailed CM and cabinet minister for tourism and environment, Aditya Thackeray, taking strong objection to planting mangroves uprooted near Vashi creek bridge to another location.
The green body has asked the state government to plant the mangroves close to the project site.
BN Kumar, director of NatConnect foundation in the mail said, "This is like doing surgery on the leg for a hand injury! The impact of the destruction of mangroves is felt in the same geography. We see no point on doing compensatory planting in some other, totally unrelated area".
Mangrove and wetlands are supposed to be natural barriers against floods. The tropical tree acts as the frontline soldiers against tidal water attacks on the coast by absorbing the force of the water flow. It also serves as the breeding ground for hundreds of species of fish and contributes to biodiversity," Kumar said.
"In view of this, we request you to instruct the revenue and forest department to plant mangroves in the project area itself," he further added.
"We have already seen the impact of planting trees away from project areas of Uran. JNPT has done compensatory plantation of terrestrial trees, with the help of forest department, miles away at Koproli Kalambusare, Uran, on hillock, in lieu of mangrove loss at Uran. Here too, the terrestrial plants did not survive,” said Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan.