Mumbai, March 18 Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray alleged on Wednesday that authorities were carrying out fake replanting and compensatory afforestation, and demanded a halt to the felling of mangroves for the Versova-Bhayandar Coastal Road in North Mumbai.
Raising the issue in the Maharashtra legislative assembly, Thackeray said a joint committee of the House should visit the sites where mangroves are to be cut and where the government has claimed to have replanted the trees removed for the project.
The former state environment minister also sought an inquiry commission to probe the matter, alleging that Forest Department officials were "misleading" the Bombay High Court (which has passed orders in the matter), the forest minister, and civil society regarding the status of mangrove plantations.
He claimed that fake replanting and compensatory afforestation were being cited to justify the cutting of around 45,000 mangroves for the coastal road project.
Alternatives such as tunnels or alignment changes could be explored to avoid damage to ecologically sensitive mangrove areas along the Mumbai coast, said Thackeray.
Citing inputs from civil society groups, he said there were discrepancies in the afforestation claims of the Forest Department.
Mangroves play a crucial role in protecting the coastline and maintaining ecological balance, he said, urging the government to ensure their preservation.