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Navi Mumbai: Houses Under PM Awas Yojana Built On Mangrove Zones, Greens Complain To PM Modi

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The houses built by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) under Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Navi Mumbai have violated the environmental conditions and mangrove buffer zones, Green groups have complained to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PMAY projects, particularly in Mansarovar and Kharghar, areas have come up in proximity of mangroves, mudflats and inter-tidal wetlands, the complaint filed by NatConnect Foundation on PMO Public Grievance website, said.

The status report on the website says the complaint has been referred to the Director in the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Arvind Kumar Agrawal. NatConnect attached the recent Google Earth picture and actual ground photographs to fortify its case.

“The compound wall of the Kharghar project, on the northern side of the railway station, almost touches the mangroves with the distance between the sea plants and the project being 8 metres to 25 metres,” Director of the NatConnect Foundation, B N Kumar said and argued that this is in violation of both the central and state clearances given for the projects.

When contacted, a senior CIDCO official said, “We have not defied any CRZ norms since we received environmental clearance for the project on July 8, 2020. It is on the basis of transit-oriented development (TOD). The work on the project started in November, 2020 and was delayed a bit due to Covid-19 pandemic. The revised date of completion of the project is 2025.”

Providing details of the project, the official said the project is RERA registered having 17 towers with 2BHK flats consisting of RERA carpet area of 47.277 sq mtr. The beneficiaries of the apartments would be decided through a lottery system or as per the decision of the management.

The environmental clearance summary, issued by the MoEF&CC clearly stated that no mangroves should be affected during construction of the entire project and that the 50-meter buffer line has to be maintained. There is supposed to be thick vegetation of tall trees with foliage along the buffer line to mitigate any fugitive dust emission etc. towards the mangrove area.

The 143rd meeting of the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) held on February 4, 2020 clearly noted that the projects were partly under CRZ1 and hence CIDCO was prohibited from doing any construction in the 50 mtr mangrove buffer zone and to maintain a 100 mtr CRZ setback for the creek. “However, the Kharghar project presents a worrying scene as the PMAY buildings have come up in the danger line,” Kumar said.

Jyoti Nadkarni of Kharghar Hills and Wetland Forum said, “The compound wall will push the high tide line towards the Panvel creek and this is bound to cause flooding in other areas as water finds its own course and does not go by CIDCO walls.”

“What is even more shocking is that the urban planners in all their wisdom appear to be constructing housing colonies into the sea at a time when the rising sea levels has become a major global concern,” she added.

The environmental clearances have been given post the state mangrove cell visits and with conditions that the mangrove zones should not be impacted. The environmentalists, therefore, call for a thorough on-the-spot inquiry and taking measures to save the people and properties.

“Afterall, it is the tax-payers’ hard earned money that goes as subsidies into the PMAY project,” NatConnect said and offered to accompany the probe teams and point out the violations.  

Maharashtra

Thief who came from Mumbai and committed several thefts arrested

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Mumbai: Police have claimed to have arrested a thief who committed theft in the limits of Milind police station, against whom several cases of theft and burglary are registered in Mumbai. Mumbai Zone 7 DCP Vijay Kant Sagare, while addressing a press conference here, said that the accused came to Mumbai by flight with the intention of stealing and broke into several 5 houses.

Theft cases are registered against him in Nehru Nagar, Milind, Alwaye, Navi Mumbai. One and a half lakh silver ornaments weighing two kg, totaling Rs 15 lakh have been seized. Cases of stalking are also registered against the criminal Rajesh in Dombivali, Vishnu Nagar, Vishai, Vitthalwadi, Manpara, Pan police stations.

The accused told that he came to Mumbai from Varanasi by plane on March 13, 2025 and robbed five houses in 15 days.

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Maharashtra

Struggle Against Land Mafia in Waqf Properties: New Amended Bill Adds to the Challenges

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New Delhi : In the ongoing battle to protect Waqf properties and ensure their benefits reach the deserving, land mafias, encroachers, and illegal groups were already a major hurdle. Now, the government’s newly amended bill has emerged as another significant challenge. Advocate Dr. Syed Ejaz Abbas Naqvi has strongly criticized this move and demanded immediate reforms. He stated that the primary objective of Waqf was to benefit the needy, but unfortunately, this objective has completely failed. On the other hand, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the largest Sikh religious organization, has been actively involved in the welfare of its community for decades. As a result, the Sikh community has nearly eradicated beggars and human rickshaw pullers.

Illegal Encroachments and Misuse of Waqf Lands Exposed :
According to Dr. Naqvi, Waqf properties have suffered the most due to unlawful encroachments by vested interest groups. The most unfortunate fact is that many Waqf lands were originally donated for the shrines (Dargahs) of Syed families, but they have been grossly misused. He revealed that a well-known individual shamelessly sold an acre of prime Waqf land on Mumbai’s Altamount Road for just 1.6 million rupees, a blatant violation of Waqf principles and laws.

Demand for a Stricter Amendment in Section 52 :
Dr. Naqvi has called on the government to take strict action against those who illegally sell Waqf properties. He has urged for an immediate amendment to Section 52 of the Waqf Act to introduce

capital punishment or life imprisonment* for unauthorized Waqf land sellers. This issue is a major setback for those fighting to safeguard Waqf properties, who are already battling corrupt elements and illegal land grabbers. It remains to be seen whether the government takes these concerns seriously and enacts effective legislation to protect Waqf lands.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai Cleanup Marshal and Swachh Mumbai campaign ended, fine collection from citizens also stopped, BMC helpline number released

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Mumbai: Mumbai BMC has abolished the clean-up marshal policy, after which now the clean-up marshal has disappeared from the streets of the city. The Municipal Corporation has completely banned the clean-up marshal and the Swachh Mumbai Mission has been stopped. This means that now no clean-up marshal will be able to force citizens to pay fines or take any other punitive action. After complaints against clean-up marshals, Mumbai BMC has decided to stop and suspend the service of clean-up marshals from today.

The Solid Waste Management Department of Mumbai Municipal Corporation, under the Department of Garbage and Sanitation, oversees public cleanliness in Mumbai and the ‘Swachh Mumbai Mission’ has been closed from April 4, 2025. However, the Municipal Corporation administration has appealed to the citizens that if any fine has been imposed on them despite this, then they can complain about it. Complaints regarding cleanup marshals can be made to the divisional control room of the Mumbai Municipal Corporation at 022-23855128 and 022-23877691 (extension number 549/500).

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