Activists associated with River March, an organisation that works towards rejuvenating the city’s rivers, have proposed that the popular Turzon Point lake in Charkop where scores of bird species have been spotted be declared as a bird sanctuary. Locals have alleged that some people are not letting nature lovers access the forested patch near the lake.

Charkop-based environmentalist Mili Shetty, who has been fighting to save the green cover, lake and mangroves forest in his neighbourhood, said the area around the lake is an unexplored forest with plenty of birds, reptiles and rich ecology. “The place used to be thronged by environmentalists for clicks of nature. Suddenly, no one is allowed to enter it citing it to be a private property. The rare bittern bird was spotted here after two decades and there are over 150 species of other birds that have been documented by wildlife and nature lovers. We feel that the area should be given legal protection and made a bird sanctuary.”