Kharghar locals want cycle track around pond but it's full of debris

Kharghar residents dream to have a cycle track around two ponds might not become a reality thanks to the illegal landfilling work going on at one of the sites Earlier after residents complained about debris being dumped at one of the ponds CIDCO had barricaded the area But recently some locals spotted similar work being carried out at the second pond and informed CIDCO However no action has been taken yetSwach Kharghar Foundation SKF a citizen group is concerned about the systematic manner in which one of the two natural ponds behind Bharati Vidyapeeth sector 7 CBD Belapur is being filled with construction debris with an intend to reclaim the land The residents have raised the matter with CIDCO but if they fail to get a response they plan to approach the courtThere was no fence around one of the ponds earlierMangal Kamble president of SKF said We never knew that Kharghar had such a beautiful location and people with vested interests are trying to exploit the area by dumping debris They have already reclaimed threefourth of one of the pondsWhen asked how they came to know about the ponds Kamble said On April 2018 former principal of Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering M Z Shaikh had written a letter to us seeking our help in planting 1000 saplings inside and behind the campus Since it was a good initiative I wrote to CIDCO requesting them to level the access roads and beautify the surroundings so that we could plant the saplings Unfortunately CIDCO never acted on that request and the plantation drive never happenedRecently when we again visited the location we found trucks parked in the area and construction waste being dumped in one of the ponds We objected to it and raised the matter with CIDCO officials to stop the same she added She further said We wont allow these natural ponds to be destroyed by land grabbers We will be after CIDCO to beautify the area and make a cycle track around the ponds If this place is not protected we will take the matter to courtIt was barricaded later after locals complainedSanjay Pudale executive engineer of Kharghar nodal agency said We have received a complaint about construction debris being dumped in one of the ponds behind Bharati Vidyapeeth CIDCO has barred all dumping activities in the area since local residents complained about it Also security guards have been deployed at the entrance to prevent trucks from entering the location Even after this if illegal activities happen then we will register a police complaintWe had received a letter from Bharati Vidyapeeth site engineer J B Thorat seeking permission for dumping debris in the area But I told him about the residents complaint and said that debris would not be dumped there Directives have also been given to the site security guard said PudaleSpeaking about the cycle track he said It is a good concept but CIDCO has to plan it If we are informed about it then we will do the needfulWhen midday visited the spot on Friday a security guard was seen at the entrance but on the way back around noon the cabin was found lockedWhen contacted an official from the CIDCO planning department said I havent come across the proposal for a cycle track yet It might be with my seniors Though we are supposed to carry out a site visitThe security post at the entrance to the two pondsMeanwhile Dr Sandhya Jadhav principal of Bharati Vidyapeeth College of Engineering said At present no construction activity is happening inside the campus We do have a fiveacre plot outside the compound wall which might be developed in futureJ B Thorat site engineer of Bharati Vidyapeeth said I had met the Kharghar nodal agencys executive engineer on Friday morning to seek permission for dumping a small amount of debris in the area but permission wasnt grantedRubbishing CIDCOs claims Kamble said CIDCO itself had given permission to a construction company to dump debris behind Bharati Vidyapeeth near the proposed science park but due to lack of supervision debris was dumped in the pond instead Almost threefourth of the pond has been covered and now CIDCO is trying to be ignorant Just last week we spotted a truck full of construction debris near one of the ponds and upon questioning the driver said that the company owner had obtained a permission from CIDCOThe pond where debris was dumped recentlyWe did not allow the workers to dump the debris in the pond When confronted the security guard said he knew nothing about it They are just passing the buck added KambleShe even showed a letter dated January 23 2019 copy with this paper wherein CIDCO AEE Kharghar1 has approved the disposal of surplus excavated material near the proposed science parkCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates