The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has directed the Raigad district collector to investigate allegations of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) violations in the implementation of the Prime Minister's Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Navi Mumbai. This action comes in response to a complaint filed by NatConnect Foundation on the PMO Public Grievance website, raising concerns about PMAY projects in Mansarovar and Kharghar that are reportedly near mangroves, mudflats, and inter-tidal wetlands.

Following the complaint, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MOEFCC) instructed the MCZMA to conduct a detailed probe into the alleged violations. B N Kumar, director of NatConnect, stated that the compound wall of the Kharghar project, located on the northern side of the railway station, is alarmingly close to the mangroves, with distances ranging from 8 to 25 meters. This is in breach of both central and state environmental clearances.

The environmental clearance (EC) issued by the Union Ministry of Environment & Climate Change mandates that no mangroves should be affected during construction and a 50-meter buffer zone should be maintained. Additionally, the clearance specifies that dense vegetation should be planted along the buffer line to prevent dust and pollution from reaching the mangrove area. The clearance was granted following inspections by the state mangrove cell, with strict conditions to ensure that the mangrove zones remain unaffected.

NatConnect has submitted recent Google Earth images and ground-level photographs as evidence to support its claims. The 143rd meeting of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority, held on February 4, 2020, had noted that some of the project areas fell under CRZ1, and hence, CIDCO was prohibited from carrying out any construction within the 50-meter mangrove buffer zone and was required to maintain a 100-meter CRZ setback from the creek.

However, the Kharghar project appears to have violated these guidelines, with the PMAY buildings encroaching on the danger line. According to environmental activist Jyoti Nadkarni of the Kharghar Hills and Wetland Forum, the construction of the compound wall could push the high tide line towards Panvel creek, potentially causing flooding in other areas as the water finds new pathways.

Nadkarni criticized the decision to construct housing projects in such vulnerable areas, especially given the global concern over rising sea levels. Environmentalists are calling for a thorough on-site inspection and immediate measures to safeguard both the environment and the people who will reside in the area.

NatConnect Foundation has warned that the 10,000 people expected to occupy the Kharghar project could face a permanent threat from tidal waves. "It is the taxpayers' hard-earned money that is funding subsidies for the PMAY project," the organization emphasized, offering to accompany the probe teams to help identify the violations.

The investigation is expected to determine the extent of the violations and ensure compliance with CRZ regulations to protect the local ecosystem and community.