Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Plight of Belapur hill' that was published in Newsband

Plight of Belapur hill

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Belapur hill is in danger since attempts are being made to flatten the land over here by burning all the trees. The residents living near the hill have lodged a complaint to the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the police. They have complained about the springing up of illegal hutments or other structures over here by flattening of the land. Some residents have witnessed fire on the hill and also a JCB machine being run over this land to make space for the encroachers.

There is a great difference in the hill of the past and the hill today. In the past the there used to be all greenery spread all over the hill. Belapur hill at that time boasted of a rich biodiversity. But now it is found that encroachers in the bid to grab the land flatten the place by burning the trees to make it possible for them to build their houses.

So far many tall trees have been burnt and felled. At places even heavy machines are being used to flatten the land to enable the encroachers to construct their houses. This is the land owned by CIDCO and yet it is found that some men use axes to chop down the trees and their branches as if it is their own property.

Neither the local corporator nor the police nor CIDCO are able to control these encroachers who are out to grab the entire hill for themselves.

The CIDCO authorities in the recent past have promised to send their officials to this site and do the inspection after which they will take appropriate actions.

Whereas the members of Aam Aadmi Party are promising to cooperate with CIDCO in controlling the encroachment attempts, the local politicians are going out of the way to assist the encroachers in constructing illegal structures over here in order to add more number of voters in their vote banks.

Thus Belapur Hill is become an important issue for the residents of Belapur, corporators and both NMMC and CIDCO authorities.