Navi Mumbai: Ahead of monsoons, both CIDCO and NMMC have been requested to seriously look into the alleged illegal temples constructed atop landslide-prone Belapur hills by environmental activists.
A delegation of environmental activists has voiced their fears of tragedy akin to Irshalwaid landslide disaster likely to hit Belapur hills the soil of which has turned loose due to massive destruction of trees for the building of the unauthorised temples.
The authorities were asked to look into the possibility of the hill facing landslides owing to large scale illegal constructions.
The joint delegation that highlighted the matter with NMMC and CIDCO were NatConnect Foundation and Save Belapur Hills Forum .“The landslide danger at Belapur Hill is real as the soil has become loose due to uprooting of several trees for building the temples with some of them having facility for congregation of up to 2,000 people,” NatConnect director B N Kumar said.
Local activists Kapil Kulkarni and Sushil Patil said they have absolutely nothing against the temple but they should be in safer places than the hill slopes.
Activists informed that a demolition drive undertaken by CIDCO during the last monsoon had to be suspended owing to the fear of landslides due to the loosened soil. “In fact, the retaining walls of a couple of housing societies had already been damaged due to landslides earlier. Municipal Commissioner said, "NMMC is “seized” of the issues arising out of the 30 illegal temples on landslide-prone Belapur Hill and will take appropriate action,” said Kumar.
The commissioner is stated to have assured the delegation on Thursday of directing the deputy municipal commissioner in-charge of encroachments to examine the issue following the directives from the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) and the state urban development department.
CIDCO, on its part has raised a technical point stating that as per the Government Resolution (GR) issued following the Supreme Court and High Court orders, the NMMC level committee has to decide on the action against the unauthorised religious structures. The City planner has in fact written to NMMC Commissioner in this regard, a top official confirmed to NatConnect.
“With CIDCO raising the fresh point, NMMC was asked to initiate necessary action to save the temples and the people from potential landslide dangers. CIDCO and NMMC have already admitted to MSHRC that the Belapur Hill structures fall under Category B and that they had to be demolished,” informed Kumar.
