The Bombay High Court (HC) has overturned the National Green Tribunal's (NGT) order against the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and the Navi Mumbai Integrated Industrial Area (NMIIA). The court has returned the Panje wetland issue to the State Environment Department.
The ruling, dated January 24, 2024, and posted on January 29, 2024, directed the Principal Secretary of the State Environment Department to address the matter. The Secretary is required to consider the representations, hear all three parties, and issue a reasoned order within a maximum of 12 weeks.
The case started on November 11, 2020, when the Raigad district collector and CIDCO were asked to make sure that Panje's intertidal water flow was not obstructed. This was after environmental groups had raised concerns with the administration multiple times.
The CIDCO plans call for the development of the 289 ha Panje wetland in Uran. The wetland is governed by NMIIA and is designated as sectors 16 to 28 in the Dronagiri Development Plan.
When the government order was being violated, environmentalist Nandkumar Pawar filed an application with the NGT's western zonal bench. The NGT requested that the government agencies carry out the state's order, but this request was also ignored.
Following the environment director's directive, CIDCO and NMIIA submitted a review petition to the NGT. However, the NGT's larger six-member bench affirmed the initial ruling and requested that Panje be kept as a wetland by CIDCO and the Raigad Collector. CIDCO and NMIIA then filed a writ suit with the High Court, which issued an order on January 24, 2024.
On December 4, 2015, then-chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the State Wildlife Board had approved three bird sanctuaries located at Sewri-Mahul, Panje-Funde, and NRI-TS Chanakya. However, this decision has not yet been implemented.
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