The National Green Tribunal (NGT), in an order on April 21, gave the Ministry of Environment, Forestry (MoEF) one last chance to submit their report on the reclassification of the 20 hectares of wetland stretch in Kopri, Thane east. On January 15 this year, the western zone bench of the NGT presided by justice V R Kingaonkar and expert member Dr Ajay Deshpande, had given the MoEF three months’ time to visit the wetlands and mangroves and classify the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) in this area, whilst ensuring that the ecology and environment is not harmed in doing so. This direction came soon after two city-based individual environmentalists and NGO Paryavaran Dakshata Manch, together, filed a petition in the tribunal stating that the MoEF had faultily reclassified the wetland in Kopri from CRZ1 to CRZ 3, thus allowing construction activities in this green zone in Kopri. An area that falls under CRZ 1, which cannot have any constructions on it as against CRZ 3 where there is no restriction. The green activists informed the tribunal that the particular stretch of land in Kopri and Mulund was indicated as a flood prone area in the Disaster Management Plan. They also asserted the destruction of this green zone would raise the gravity of the situation and sought the court’s direction to restore the wetland by removing the obstructions and debris dumped by land-grabbers. The tribunal then directed the MoEF to conduct a physical check of development, existence, height and distance of mangroves in the area after obtaining a factual report from the collector. They were asked to consider the existence of saltpans, habitat of birds and their breeding grounds and other environmental aspects in the survey and include that in the report, which was supposed to be submitted on April 21. However, when the MoEF defaulted in producing this report at the hearing on Thursday, the western zone bench gave them one last chance. The deadline to submit the report was extended by a good 10 weeks. The next hearing will be held after two and half months on July 11. The MoEF has enough time to survey the wetlands and submit their report this time.
2016, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.