The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), and the Konkan Wetland Committee have all received letters from the Bombay High Court about alleged unauthorised building permits on an environmentally vulnerable wetland in Goregaon West.
A division bench led by Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Makarand Karnik was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by well-known environmental activist Zoru Bhathena. The PIL challenges the BMC’s 2023 approval, granted to private developers, for landfilling and construction on a 191.39-hectare plot in the Pahadi area, which Bhathena asserts has been classified as a wetland since 1991 by the MCZMA.
Wetlands play a vital ecological role—supporting migratory bird populations, protecting biodiversity, and providing flood control and groundwater recharge. According to Bhathena, the site in question falls under CRZ-1 (Coastal Regulation Zone), a highly protected category under India’s coastal regulation framework. This classification is supported by data from the MCZMA’s Wetland Atlas.
The PIL names two developers—Beeline Impex Pvt. Ltd and Pearl CosChem Pvt. Ltd—who allegedly applied in 2022 to build a boundary wall and carry out land reclamation activities. The BMC granted the request the following year, despite the land’s environmental classification. Bhathena alleges that approximately 39,601 square metres of landfilling has already been completed on the site, which borders fragile mangrove ecosystems.
Bhathena further claims that satellite images confirm the area is low-lying and influenced by tidal waters, which are defining features of wetland ecosystems. He accused the developers of manipulating the natural flow of tidal water to avoid detection by satellite monitoring systems—an action he contends is designed to mask the area’s ecological status.
Referring to prior rulings by the High Court, the PIL highlights that no reclamation or construction can take place on listed wetlands without court approval. It also raises concerns over a May 2023 change in the development plan, in which the BMC allocated the plot to Maharashtra National Law University, reclassifying the land as “residential use” while retaining its CRZ-1 designation.
Bhathena has urged the court to declare the BMC’s actions illegal, order full restoration of the affected wetland, and place a permanent stay on all future development at the site.
The court has directed the BMC, MCZMA, and the Konkan Wetland Committee to file detailed responses before further proceedings.
Source: Hindustan Times
