In Taloja creek, sand mafia has a free pass

The sand mafia is dredging in Navi Mumbairsquos Taloja creek to scoop and sucking out sand despite restrictions activists have said If the unauthorised sand collection goes unchecked it may cause the Kalamboli bridge in the vicinity to sink they said The sand diggers have also placed bunds to block tidal water from reaching the mangroves which are drying up said environmentalist Stalin D of nonprofit VanashaktiHighlighting the illegalities Stalin has written to a host of authorities including the mangrove cell of the forest department the Thane collector and the Union environment ministry urging their interventionBunds have been created to block the flow of tidal water to mangroves near a residential area in KamotheldquoIllegal sand mining and dredging have wiped out large stretches of mangroves in the Taloja creek Largescale sand mining using dredgers and suction pumps is underway daily at the site We have visited the site and have taken photos and videos of the operation A time series satellite imagery comparison over the past two years shows how large swathes of mangroves have disappeared due to this illegal activityrdquo Stalin told middayIn his complaint to the authorities Stalin said the forest department has expressed helplessness on the grounds that the development body CIDCO is yet to hand over the mangrove patches to it Stalin has appealed to the collectors of Thane and Raigad to seize the boats and equipment used in sand mining and take action against the offendersThis pipeline runs parallel to the Kalamboli bridge Both structures are in danger say activistsldquoIt is impossible that such largescale illegal sand mining using suction pumps and mechanised dredgers can happen in broad daylight without the authorities knowing it The nearby bridge will eventually sink if this dredging or sand mining continuesrdquo he saidWhile sand mining is banned in Maharashtra as it destroys the ecology of the waterbody the destruction of mangroves is a punishable offence Further down the road at survey number 56 at Kamothe large swathes of Mangroves have died Stalin has said in his letterldquoA bund has been made and huge mangrove trees have died due to stagnating water Some unknown persons have started commercial activities of marble cutting next to the mangroves A religious structure has also come up and the structure is expanding into the mangroves We demand that the transfer of all mangroves under CIDCOrsquos jurisdiction be immediately done to the state forest departmentA boat involved in illegal sand mining in Navi Mumbairsquos Taloja creekWe will be raising these issues in the ongoing contempt petition PIL 14 of 2021 filed by us in the Honrsquoble High Court of Bombay to ensure all mangroves are handed over to the forest departmentrdquo Stalin said Other environmentalists called the state affairs at Taloja worryingEnvironmentalist Sunil Agarwal said ldquoCertain illegal activities canrsquot take place without the knowledge of authorities Illegal sand mining is one of them The Panvel tehsil office had raided an illegal sand mining site in October 2021 at Taloja creek in Kharghar node after receiving complaints from citizens and seized two boats motor pumps sand filters and other paraphernalia that were used to illegally source the sandrdquo He said such elaborate arrangements cannot be put in place without the knowledge of authorities ldquoThey act only after many complaints by citizens instead of acting on their own to prevent illegal sand miningrdquoA sand mining site with residential towers in the background at KhargharNatConnect Foundation Director B N Kumar slammed authorities for turning a blind eye to the unauthorised business but offered a balanced view ldquoThe construction industry needs sand and the government must regulate it and ensure that mining and supply are done properly The muddy sand that is illegally drawn from the highly polluted creeks in MMR is not of good quality Yet contractors go for shortcuts and trade in such bad quality sandrdquoEnvironmentalist Nandakumar Pawar head of Shri Ekvira Aai Pratishthan said itrsquos not easy for officials to stop this illegal trade due to practical challenges ldquoGenerally these illegal mechanised sand dredging sites are not easily accessible It mostly happens in remote areas at night Itrsquos a tough job to reach such mining sites Many times the illegal sand miners confront authorities and chase them awayrdquoLike other environmentalists Pawar was unwavering in his claim that the sand is being mined in connivance with local authorities ldquoThey are aware of who are involved in these activities but unfortunately authorities many a time turn a blind eye for obvious reasonsrdquo Officials from CIDCO and revenue department didnrsquot respond to requests for their version