Garbage dumping on Uran mangroves near Mumbai ends as HC steps in

Officials said the UMC might have to make just two trips a week to carry the garbage to the new site, about 40 km away from Uran

Ending the nearly 15-year-long relentless flight by local people and environmentalists over dumping of garbage on mangroves in Uran across Mumbai harbour, a high-level State government meeting has resolved to shift the dumping to a faraway from the new location and thus save the sea plants.

The meeting, held on last Thursday at the instance of Bombay High Court, was presided over State Environment and Climate Change Minister Aditya Thackeray, has come out with a two-pronged strategy to treat dry waste at Uran Municipal Council’s (UMC) Material Recovery Facility and send the wet waste to the dumping ground at Chal village near Panvel.

Local planning agency government-owned CIDCO, which has been dilly-dallying on the issue so far, has agreed to accept the Uran garbage at Chal village.

Also Read | Maharashtra: Killed by garbage dump, mangroves come alive at Uran

Officials said the transport burden would not be much as the UMC might have to make just two trips a week to carry the garbage to the new site, about 40 km away from Uran.

Earlier, Justice Milind N. Jadhav and Justice S.J. Kathawalla had taken a strong exception to the procrastination and the “administrative failure” over finding a solution to the menace.

Despite the officials’ commitment to the Court and the judicial orders, the issue remained unresolved, the Court observed taking up the writ petition filed by the Shri Hanuman Koliwada Macchimar Vikas Sanstha Maryadit.

Last Tuesday, the Court finally directed the Advocate General to take up the issue with the State Environment Minister and resolve it.

Also Read | Bullet Train to run through undersea tunnel to save Thane creek mangroves: RTI reply

Hanuman Koliwada, resettlement of displaced fishing community from Nhava, is in the vicinity of the garbage dump at Bori Pakhadi which also has been posing health hazards.

During the prolonged campaign, NatConnet Foundation moved the Prime Minister twice over the way the Swachh Bharat movement has been thrown to the winds. The PMO responded by directing the Maharashtra Urban Development Department to immediately look into the issue. The High Court-appointed Mangrove Protection and Conservation Committee have, on a complaint from NatConnect and Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan, directed CIDCO and the Raigad District Collector to stop the destruction of mangroves and find an alternative dumping place.

At the instance of the two NGOs and the local pressure, the revenue department even filed an FIR at Uran police station against the UMC. “Yet, sadly nothing affected all the officials collectively and the garbage dumping continued with intermittent fires that filled the air with nasty stink and gases,” NatConnect Director B N Kumar said on Monday after he secured a copy of the minutes of the meeting.

Also Read | Mumbaikars will soon be able to visit Mangrove Park in Gorai

“Ant bhala toh sab bhala,” said local activist Samir Ashrit who has relentlessly spearheaded the fight.

“Uran municipal council denies notwithstanding, we have seen draining of even sewer water carried by tankers,” Kumar said in a press statement.

Advocate Meenaz Kakalia said the advocate general presented the minutes of the government meeting to the Court on Monday. The next hearing is fixed for January to review the progress of implementation.

Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni briefed the officials that included Additional Revenue Secretary Nitin Karir, Principal Secretary UDD-2 Mahesh Pathak, Principal Secretary, Environment & Climate Change Manisha Mhaiskar, CIDCO MD Dr Sanjay Mukherji, Konkan Divisional Commissioner Vilas Patil, MPCB Member Secretary Ashok Shingare, Raigad collector Dr Mahendra Kalyankar, Deputy Conservator of Forest Ashish Thakare and Uran Municipal Council Chief Officer Santosh Mali.

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