Representative image.
Credit: NatConnect
Navi Mumbai: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has issued a sharp seven-day ultimatum to the Raigad district collector to probe alleged environmental violations at the multi-tower Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) project in Kharghar, after the previous directive went unanswered for a year.
The state's coastal regulator, acting on a reminder letter from the Union Environment Ministry, has sought an immediate report from the Collector on whether the project has breached mandatory mangrove buffers and Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
The order follows fresh complaints from environment group NatConnect, which has flagged violations to the Prime Minister’s Office twice over the past year.
NatConnect director B N Kumar said the compound wall of the PMAY cluster at Mansarovar and Kharghar stands barely 8 to 25 metres from the mangroves—far short of the mandated 50-metre buffer.
The project’s environmental clearance also requires a thick green barrier to shield the mangrove ecosystem. The complaint includes Google Earth images and ground photographs showing work extending close to the mangrove edge.
In its latest communication, the MCZMA reminded the Raigad collector—who heads the District Coastal Zone Management Committee (DCZMC)—that the office was directed a year ago to check the alleged violations but never responded. A letter signed by Vishal Madane, Under Secretary in the State Environment Department, has now set a seven-day deadline for a full investigation and compliance report.
NatConnect has also warned that planners appear to have overlooked rising sea-level projections, potentially exposing more than 10,000 future residents and small businesses to long-term coastal risk. Experts say the project’s location close to the natural high tide line could disrupt natural hydrology.
“Building this close to the tideline interferes with the way coastal systems breathe,” said Jyoti Nadkarni, convenor of the Kharghar Hills and Wetlands Forum. She said that once natural buffers are constricted, tidal water tends to rebound unpredictably, pushing pressure into surrounding neighbourhoods. Nadkarni cautioned that with seas inching higher each year, squeezing construction into coastal margins is no longer just an ecological debate—it directly amplifies future flood risk for residents.
The MCZMA had earlier noted—during its 143rd meeting on February 4, 2020—that parts of the PMAY site fall under CRZ-I, where construction within the mangrove buffer is prohibited, and that a 100-metre setback from the creek is mandatory.
NatConnect said it is quite concerned that even a previous reminder from MoEFCC failed to prompt district-level action. “This is public money and public safety,” NatConnect said, offering to accompany inspection teams to point out the violations.