Mumbai: Environmentalists urge CM Uddhav Thackeray to declare Panje and Talawe wetlands as bird sanctuaries

Describing Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's decision to save the greens at Aarey Milk Colony with a 600-acre reserve forest as a "good green precedent", environmentalists have requested him to turn his attention to Panje and Talawe wetlands in Navi Mumbai and declare them as bird sanctuaries instead.

Last week, Thackeray had announced that 600 acres in Aarey would be declared as forest, ensuring that no construction would be allowed there—a decision that was welcomed by nature- and wildlife-loving Mumbaikars.

According to Navi Mumbai-based environmentalists, proposals to declare Panje wetland as a bird sanctuary and Talawe as flamingo sanctuary have been waiting for final orders from the government, and so they have sent an email to the Chief Minister, requesting him to take the necessary steps to prevent the bio-diversity spot from turning into a concrete jungle.

"While the government had promised the BNHS that it would accord status of a bird sanctuary to Panje, the CIDCO has, sadly, drawn a development plan, as part of Dronagiri node, which would bury the wetlands from Sectors 16 to 28," said B N Kumar, director of NatConnect Foundation.

He added that CIDCO, which is a 26 per cent partner of NMSEZ, has seemed to have reversed its own plan to keep Panje as a holding pond for Dronagiri where it would work as a flood control mechanism. And now, it has illegally built sluice gates on the inter tidal water flow, while NMSEZ has built a massive wall. "These have to be undone to allow free flow of water into the wetland," he added. The proposal says that Panje comes under CRZ-1 and thus, has to be protected, pointed out Nandakumar Pawar, head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishtan. The Bombay High Court-appointed Mangrove Committee has also asked CIDCO and Raigad district administration to protect Panje as it has all the characteristics of a wetland. CIDCO has not complied with this, Pawar said.

The Mangrove Committee has also asked CIDCO and NMSEZ to restore Pagote and Bhendkhal wetlands where NMSEZ has dumped debris and soil. The Raigad district administration has already filed FIRs against NMSEZ officials, he pointed out. Kumar said that in March, environment minister Aaditya Thackeray had ordered a halt on all construction in Panje. The Mangrove Foundation has asked CIDCO to handover wetlands at Panje (and Belpada, Bhendkhal, Talawe, TS Chanakya) to it for protection and conservation. CIDCO is yet to do this.

Environmentalists said government's decision to protect Talawe wetland has been pending. Aaditya had promised an environmentalists' team, led by activist Sunil Agrawal, that Talawe would be declared a flamingo sanctuary. The minister even asked CIDCO to come up with a plan, but no action has been taken.

Dilip Koli of fishing community forum, Paaramparik Machhimar Bachao Kruti Samiti, said wetlands act as urban sponges and work as flood control mechanism and serve the needs of the fishing community. Damage to wetlands impacts their lives as it snatches away their constitutional right to make a living out of fishing.

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