Greens raise alarm against attempts to sabotage HC-protected Lotus Lake in Navi Mumbai

Navi Mumbai: Alert environment lovers nipped in the bud an attempt to dump debris with the clandestine designs in the 7.5-acre Lotus Lake in Nerulin Navi Mumbai, a verified and Bombay High Court-protected wetland.

Advocate Pradeep Patole who won a favourable order from Bombay High Court in his plea against encroachments at the wetland, said some workers came with a dump truck and started to remove the fencing around the lake.

Local resident D K Jain, an active member of Save Lotus Lake group, raised an alarm and Patole quickly filed a complaint with the police and NMMC.

By the time a group of activists rushed to the area, the dumper vanished. The workers who were caught removing the fencing claimed that it belonged to a leading private contractor who had several key projects on hand and that CIDCO had assigned them for the landfill, Patole said.

He tried to contact CIDCO officials but there was no confirmation.

NatConnect Foundation director said that despite the High Court orders attempts are being made to sabotage the city’s wetlands. After DPS Flamingo Lake and T S Chanakya, Lotus Lake too has been attracting many pink and other birds.

It is the duty of both Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) to protect biodiversity, Kumar said and appreciated the Save Lotus Group for remaining alert.

There have been attempts to revive chestnut farming against the HC ruling in the Lotus Lake, which the NMMC foiled after complaints from citizen groups.