Even after Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) had stalled the dumbing of debris by CIDCO in Lotus lake on Monday, the dumbing continued on Tuesday. On Wednesday, seven loaded trucks of dumpers with debris had reached Lotus lake, ready to be emptied into the lake when activists Shruti Agarwal and Sunil Agarwal, alerted the local corporators, residents and corporation. Saluja Sutar, former NCP Corporator from sector 27, Nerul said, “We had been fighting to get this wet land under NMMC so that it can be developed and beautified but CIDCO denies to hand over it. While this lake is marked as a wetland as per Thane tehsil documents, for CIDCO it is a mere plot and does not consider it as a wetland.”
“CIDCO is habituated to making money by selling plots and does not care if it is a wetland. The work order given to Thakur Infraprojects Private Limited (TIPL) clearly mentions that a portion of the lake needs to be reclaimed in 15 days,” Sunil Agarwal, who had been continuously tagging officials on social media, said. Mangesh Gondhaliu from CIDCO who was at the spot with the contractor said, “I do not know anything. I have permission from CIDCO and the place belongs to CIDCO.” The debris being brought is from the site of Navi Mumbai International Airport.
By afternoon, BJP MLA Manda Mhatre reached the spot and asked the contractors to stop their work. “CIDCO has done this previously at Kukshet village as well. They reclaimed an entire pond and sold the land to builder now there stands a tower. I will not allow CIDCO to repeat that here and will take it up with them.”
After messages and calls to Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde from activists and residents, he directed his officer to visit the spot and get the work stopped. Advocate Predeep Patole who had been fighting a legal case for this wetland said, “This wetland is protected by highcourt and the responsibility was given to NMMC. They had barricaded the lake and had also put up board saying that debris dumping is not allowed in the wetland. But on Monday, CIDCO contractor broke the fencing, got their JCB and started the debris dumping and reclaiming work.”
MLA Manda Mhatre on Wednesday evening also wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stating- "I would like to inform you that at the renowned "Lotus Lake" (approximately 80 acres in size), located in Sector-27, Nerul in Navi Mumbai—considered a symbol of biodiversity by the local community—land mafias, allegedly in connivance with CIDCO officials, are carrying out large-scale unauthorized landfill activities. This action has triggered strong opposition from the local residents and environmentalists in the Nerul area. The ongoing landfill poses a significant threat to this biodiversity and may also disturb the ecological balance of the area. There is also a risk of flooding in the monsoon due to the obstruction caused by such landfill activity. The preservation of this lake is our collective responsibility, and it is crucial that the beauty of Lotus Lake be conserved and enhanced. Therefore, I earnestly request that immediate orders be issued to halt the unauthorized landfill at Lotus Lake, Plot No. 2, Sector-27, Nerul. We also urge you to direct concerned authorities to take strict action against the land mafia and any involved CIDCO officials." A copy of the letter has also been sent to Deputy CM, Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, CIDCO MD Vijay Singhal and NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailash Shinde.
