JOIN USBids to revive Parsik Hill quarries in Navi Mumbai hit ‘green’ block
As many as 51 proposals by individual operators to revive quarrying at the badly battered Parsik Hills in Thane-Navi Mumbai have hit a roadblock with the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) asking them to make a ‘common detailed environment management plan’ and take responsibility for implementing it.
Nature, wildlife, scenic beauty, spirituality, religion, environment and adventure – is all found in Parsik Hill, a precious jewel spread over Thane-Navi Mumbai belt of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).
The Authority also asked the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) on environment to take an undertaking from CIDCO that the total lease area is not more than 100 hectares. This was in view of the stipulation by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Control (MOEFCC) that mining of more than 100 hectares needed prior environmental clearance.
The SEIAA at its meeting held on January 25 took up each of the identically-worded applications seeking ‘Environmental Clearance for Extraction Of Minor Minerals (Stone) Favouring CIDCO’. Interestingly, CIDCO Joint MD Dr Kailash Shinde and Land Acquisition officer Ajinkya Padwal too attended the meeting.
The proposals came to the SEIAA after the State Expert Appraisal Committee at its meeting on September 19, 2019, reviewed the applications and opined the leaseholders should make a common environment management plan for the entire area.
“This is an apparent backdoor attempt by CIDCO to resume quarrying despite an all-round vehement opposition from various stakeholders, including the Forest Department and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC),” NatConnect Foundation said in its fresh missive to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray pleading to stall the moves.
Also Read | Quarrying, encroachments threaten Parsik Hill
SEAC also said the individual leaseholders had no legal right to individually apply for the Environmental Clearance since CIDCO holds the lease given by the Forest Department. The committee also said CIDCO could apply to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Control for the environmental clearance. SEAC sought SEIAA confirmation of this stand. The SEIAA has now confirmed this and sent the proposals back to SEAC.
CIDCO leased out 138.07 hectares from the Forest department after the MOEFCC agreed for diversion of the area for 20 years from October 5, 2006, for minor minerals (stones). But a subsequent notification by MOEFCC dated August 14, 2018 stipulated that proposals with an area exceeding 100 hectares need to be dealt with by EAC (Expert Appraisal Committee) of MOEFCC.
To apparently jumpstart this provision, the 51 quarry operators applied individually as the areas leased out to them by CIDCO are much smaller, NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar said.
The identical wording of the applications is also suspicious, he said in a press statement.
The District Forest Officer pointed out at the Thane District Environment Impact Assessment Authority (DEIAA) meeting on February 2, 2018, that as much as 264.1 hectares has already been excavated against the allotment of 138.07 hectares. Neither the SEAC nor the SEIAA meeting minutes reflect this important point and this is a big lapse, NatConnect pointed out.
Kumar recalled that late Balasaheb Thackeray had stalled quarrying of Parsik Hills in the late 1990s as the plunder of the Hills was impacting the environment and causing heavy air pollution.
Quickly responding to NatConnect, Thackeray has specifically referred the complaint to Environment Principal Secretary Manisha Mhaiskar-Patankar for further action.
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