Wetland turns debris dump, worries officers

Mumbai: Around 3.5 hectares of wetland in Kavesar area in Thane district has been destroyed due to illegal dumping of debris, alleged an activist. Over last two months, one-third of wetland out of the nine-hectare has been lost due to intervention by vested interests, said Rohit Joshi, a Thane-based activist. The district collector has taken cognisance of the issue and has filed a complaint on the matter with the local police station.

“It is a government land and has been destroyed by the accumulation of debris in the area. The local police station has registered a complaint on the matter, but we are still waiting for them to file an FIR,” said Mr Joshi. Earlier in 2014, the Bombay high court had banned any kind of reclamation or construction activities in wetland area.

When the district Tehsildar visited the site, they found that the site along the creek was covered with muck and debris, which included fresh construction material too.

“We surveyed the plot numbers 311, 312, 313 and 314 and found out that they were completely destroyed. It is adjacent to the creek area,” said Adhik Patil, tehsildar, Thane district.

The Thane district officials suspect that a private builder constructing adjacent to the wetland site is behind the dumping of the debris.