Maharashtra government seeks reports on Lotus lake wetland issue
This development follows the Central govt's instructions to the State Environment Department to investigate NatConnect Foundation's complaints about CIDCO's debris disposal activities into the wetland.
NatConnect Director B N Kumar submitted a grievance through the PMO public grievance portal to the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEFCC) regarding CIDCO's plans to fill the lake at Sector-27, Nerul, Navi Mumbai.
The matter was acknowledged by Pankaj Verma, Scientist-F in the MOEFCC's Wetland Division, who directed state environment director Abhay Madhukar Pimparkar to handle the complaint.
Through an RTI inquiry with the state Environment Department, Kumar requested details about actions following the MOEFCC directive. The department disclosed that the state requested separate reports from both authorities. Kumar noted this indicates serious official consideration of the Lotus Lake issue.
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NatConnect continues its efforts to safeguard Lotus Lake, referencing official RTI documentation that confirms its wetland designation. The lake is included amongst 564 wetlands studied by the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management (NCSCM) under state govt direction for pending wetland notification.
Kumar's petition reminded MOEFCC about its instruction to preserve wetlands following the Supreme Court decision identified by the Space Application Centre under the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment.
The Bombay High Court has safeguarded Lotus Lake through two PILs filed by Adv Pradeep Patole, instructing CIDCO to clear debris and the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation to tackle illegal occupations.
Notwithstanding these protective measures, CIDCO engaged a private agency, owned by an influential politician, to deposit debris from the Navi Mumbai International Airport construction onto the wetland. CIDCO asserts ownership of the Lotus Lake whilst rejecting its wetland status, leading to debris dumping for commercial development purposes.
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