In response to a legal mail concerning the environmental catastrophe affecting TS Chanakya Lake, NRI Wetland, and DPS Lake, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed his Urban Development Secretary to investigate the matter. The complaint, served by Law Global Advocates on behalf of Bharat Bhushan Gupta, a resident of the NRI complex and member of the Save Navi Mumbai Environment group, highlights severe threats to these wetlands due to alleged illegal activities supported by local authorities.

The complaint alleges that all three lakes adjacent to Palm Beach Road in Nerul are endangered by land grabbing activities by builders, with the tacit support of agencies such as CIDCO and NMMC. Specifically, the Save Navi Mumbai Environment group has raised concerns about ongoing construction in CRZ II zones despite an existing Bombay High Court injunction. The DPS Lake, which is rapidly drying up due to illegal blockades of intertidal flow channels, was once a habitat for thousands of migratory flamingos. Despite protection orders from the Bombay High Court in 2018, the vitality of DPS and TS Chanakya lakes continues to diminish. Furthermore, the encroachment of the NRI wetland is under legal scrutiny in the Supreme Court but has not been adequately addressed.

Sunil Agarwal, founder of the Save Navi Mumbai Environment group and petitioner for the protection of these wetlands, commented, “The culprits wanted to take advantage of the recent Lok Sabha election period and illegally capture the whole water bodies with the ulterior motive to reclaim the water bodies for real estate development. After erecting barriers and preventing nature lovers, walkers, etc., their objective would have been to obtain orders of status quo from the lower civil court at Navi Mumbai if any government authority gave any notice to remove them.”

On behalf of all environmentally concerned citizens, Bharat Bhushan Gupta took this stern step to serve a legal mail to the CM and other officials with the intention to protect and preserve all three wetlands.

Chief Minister Shinde has instructed Dr. Govind Raj, Secretary of the Urban Development Department, to thoroughly investigate and address the environmental concerns raised in the complaint. This directive aims to ensure the preservation of these crucial wetlands and to hold accountable those responsible for the illegal activities threatening their existence.