Activists who have been regularly keeping a close eye on the site along the Thane creek said that waste is being dumped on the land and levelled. In a letter to minister of forests and environment Jayanthi Natarajan, NGO Vanashakti, that has been fighting for the protection and conservation of mangroves and wetlands, has detailed the alleged irregularities.
"The civic body had said that the landfill would be scientifically operated and managed and would be one of the best in the country. But the waste is just dumped there. The stench is unbearable and there are scavenger birds all around it in addition to flies and other pests. This leads to wanton and reckless dumping of untreated waste on prime wetlands inside the mangroves," said Stalin D of Vanashakti. "It is clear that the land in question is nothing but CRZ-1 land evident from the fact that even today, despite thousands of truckloads of debris and mud being dumped on the site, the tide water still comes in during high tide. It is unimaginable that such a site was cleared for destruction," he said.
Residents have now demanded that the ministry revoke the permission given to the setting up of the landfill. and compensate for the environmental damage caused by recovering costs from the BMC. Read the full report here.
Source: Times News Network, Mumbai.
