Politicos silent on Raigad's tryst with environmental crisis

Raigad: Located close to a burgeoning metropolis and wedged between the Arabian Sea and the Sahyadri Ranges of Western Ghats, Raigad is faced with the difficult option of choosing between development and environmental protection. 

Located in the Konkan region of Maharashtra, it is expected to witness massive infrastructure development in the coming years as it gradually merges with the already-congested Mumbai Metropolitan Region. 

As rapid urbanisation becomes inevitable, Raigad might become the epicentre of an environmental crisis, feels activists. "It is blessed with rich biodiversity, but is reeling under environmental issues. The problems are on the rise by the day," says B N Kumar, Navi Mumbai-based journalist, writer and activist. 

However, politicians seem to take little notice of the matter, especially during the busy election season. 

"Elected representatives seem to be hardly bothered about the all-round destruction under the guise of infrastructure development, let alone focusing on the lack of facilities for the people," adds Kumar, who is director of NatConnect Foundation. 

The Raigad Lok Sabha seat witnesses a direct contest between sitting MP Sunil Tatkare, a close aide of deputy chief minister and NCP president Ajit Pawar, and former MP and former Union minister Anant Geete of Shiv Sena (UBT), who is close to former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. 

The constituency was known as Kolaba until the 2008 delimitation exercise.

The six Vidhan Sabha seats of Raigad are Pen, Alibaug, Shrivardhan and Mahad in Raigad district and Dapoli and Guhagar in Ratnagiri district. 

Infra transformation

Several big ticket infrastructure projects have either been completed or are in various stages of construction in the region dotted with water bodies, forests and mangroves. 

A key project among them is the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link, popularly called MTHL or Atal Setu, which connects Mumbai to Nhava Sheva across the Mumbai harbour.

Besides, the Navi Mumbai International Airport is likely to be operational in a few months. The Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) is expected to boost development in the Raigad district and the larger MMR.

Other major projects in the offing are Third Mumbai, a mega city after Mumbai, a satellite township of Navi Mumbai, and the proposed Konkan Coastal Road.

Development projects have cost the local inhabitants dearly in the past too. The fishing community families displaced from the Sheva village for the development of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, country’s largest container port, are still languishing in transit camps.

Working along with the Sagar Shakti movement led by mangrove warrior Nandakumar Pawar, Kumar says he has been highlighting the environmental degradation in the region. 

Moreover, mangroves and mudflats which are the breeding ground for a whole lot of aquaculture are being consistently destroyed for extension of the port terminals with no official intervention, Pawar says.

City planner CIDCO has been defying the High Court order to transfer mangroves to the forest department for conservation, he alleged.

The vanishing wetlands have had a direct impact on biodiversity as the number of migratory flamingos has fallen to just a handful now from over 2.5 lakh five years ago. 

"Environmental violations rise during the election season and we have experienced it during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll period," alleges Hitesh Koli, a member of the local fishing community. 

Massive construction sites in the region are literally spewing dust into the air, adversely affecting the health of local populace. "The main reason is that none of the project proponents and contractors adheres to mandated precautionary norms," says Vaibhav Koli, a local resident.