MRVC Project: Plant Trees In Gadchiroli For Cutting Mangroves In Mumbai, Says Centre

Mumbai: The Centre has cleared compensatory plantation for the loss of mangroves in connection with a train project in Mumbai. Centre has given nod for compensatory afforestation 900 km away at a village in Gadchiroli, environmentalists noted.

The Union ministry of environment, forest & climate change (MOEFCC) has given clearance for the diversion of 12.8 hectares of mangroves for the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) project between Borivali and Virar stations with a rider for compensatory afforestation.

The Centre has given in-principle approval on November 17

The Centre has given in-principle approval on November 17, for the fifth and sixth lines from Borivali to Virar. The so-called diversion is nothing but destruction of over 12,000 mangrove trees and it is shocking that the government seeks to compensate for the loss by planting terrestrial tree plantations 900 km away, said environmentalist B N Kumar.

The officials obviously expect fish and crabs to be bred in Gadchiroli forest for the loss of the biodiversity on Mumbai coast, Kumar, who also heads NaConnect Foundation,observed.

This is not the first time that such a “thoughtless” order has been issued

This is not the first time that such a “thoughtless” order has been issued. Earlier in October, the MOEFCC had allowed CA in a Jalgaon village for the loss of mangroves on account of a Navi Mumbai coastal road being built by CIDCO.

The destruction of mangroves has a direct impact on ecology and the livelihood of the fishing community, said Nandakumar Pawar of Shri Ekvira Ari Pratishtan. Hence, the fishing community must be paid the compensation. The CA, hundreds of miles away does not make any sense, he added.

'We have absolutely no problem in afforestation'

“We have absolutely no problem in afforestation in degraded forest areas of Gadchiroli which in fact is a must,” Pawar said and stressed that it need not be done in lieu of mangrove killing.

Mangroves and terrestrial trees play different roles in nature’s biodiversity and they cannot be expected to swap their roles, Pawar pointed out regretting that what the environment department does beats common sense.

Mangrove plantation for the loss of tidal plants at Vashi was planned at Borivali

On earlier occasions, mangrove plantation for the loss of tidal plants at Vashi was planned at Borivali and the diversion of such forest at BKC was sought to be compensated at Kopar Khairane in Navi Mumbai, Kumar said.

Mangroves-for-Mangroves is an acceptable policy, he said. Pawar argued that an earlier CA done in Panvel area for the killing of mangroves for JNPT was proved to be an utter flop as the man-made forest hardly survived due to lack of maintenance.

Gadchiroli compensatory forest would have to be maintained for 10 years

The MOEFCC letter in the case of MRVC says the Gadchiroli compensatory forest would have to be maintained for 10 years. But there seems to be no follow-up of such conditions and compliances in the absence of fixing accountability, Pawar and Kumar noted. Moreover, an independent audit of the mangroves that will be chopped is also missing, the environmentalists argued.