- The forest department of Maharashtra and its mangrove cell declared 1,575 hectares of mangrove areas along the Konkan coast, including 253 hectares in Mumbai suburbs, as a reserve forest
- In less than a year, the Mangrove Cell in coordination with the Forest and Environment department has reserved 6500 hectares of mangrove area
THoD Newsdesk, Maharashtra: On Thursday, the forest department of Maharashtra and its mangrove cell declared 1,575 hectares of mangrove areas along the Konkan coast, including 253 hectares in Mumbai suburbs, as a reserve forest. This stretch includes Versova, Andheri, Kandivali, Dahisar and Gorai. According to the Forest Survey of India, the mangrove forests are spread over 30,200 hectares across the state.
Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray took to Twitter and said, “In less than a year, the Mangrove Cell in coordination with the Forest and Environment department has reserved 6500 hectares of mangrove area under Section 20 of the Indian Forest Act, 1927. This area will increase to 10,000 hectares by next June.”
Back in September 2018, the Bombay High Court had mentioned that the destruction of mangroves “offended the fundamental rights of the citizens and hence, it was a mandatory duty of the state and its agencies to protect and preserve” them. The HC further added that mangroves in the state are to be declared as protected or reserved forests, including the land belonging to government agencies.
