Landsharks move in for the kill at National Park

CITY . Mumbai Mirror . Friday, March 26, 2010 . Page 12

Illegal construction activity is going on in full swing inside the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, even as authorities choose to look the other way

Construction activity is going on at full throttle inside Sanjay Gandhi National Park near Wagle Estate, Thane. While on one hand bungalows at Yeoor are being demolished and hutments from the park are being resettled elsewhere, the forest department in this case is turning a blind eye.

An animal activist and honorary animal welfare officer with Animal Welfare Board of India, went around the area and shot a video of the activity which he has submitted to the forest department.

“As soon as I got to know about the construction activity I went to the spot to check it out for myself. I saw that the encroacher had broken down the forest territory wall and has started some construction work inside the boundary,” said Sunish Subramanian, founder of PAWS, Mumbai, an animal welfare organisation.

Also an honorary member of the High Court appointed Committee to Monitor Animal Welfare Laws in Maharashtra, Subramanian went back to the spot a day later, this time equipped with a video camera. Before going to the spot he spoke to forest officials in Thane, who gave him “a very lukewarm response”.

“I realised that the encroachers might assault me so I hid the camera and recorded the entire activity. It is proof enough that the structure is inside the SGNP boundary. Moreover, encroachers have dug a huge pit a little ahead in the forest, as if foundation of another structure is to be laid there,” said Subramanian.

He submitted the copy of the video to the Thane forest officials a couple of days ago.

“Instead of swooping down and demolishing the structures and booking the encroachers, the officials simply said they would look into the matter,” said the irked animal lover.

He added, “This is how structures mushroom inside the forest boundary. A few months later, there will be full fledged industrial activity inside and then may be the forest department will wake up. By then, however, it will be too late.”

When Mumbai Mirror contacted Prashant Masurkar, range forest officer, incharge of the region, he said that the matter was sub judice.