Newlinkroad's Blog

Monday, 03 May 2010
Today was a day of intense action, once again, for the members of the New Link Road Forum.
Because of our apprehension that the alleged Salt pan development work was destroying mangroves in CTS No. 1, Survey no. 344, at Dahisar, Mumbai, we had approached the Collector on 28/4/2010. He saw the evidence we presented which shows debris being dumped in the mangroves.

He deputed the SDO to visit the site and give him a report.
We the Forum members were also invited to a baitak [sit-down meet] at the Borivli Tehsildar’s office on 3rd May 2010, to which the Owner and contractor of the land was also invited.
The SDO presided over the meeting which started at 2 PM. Our MLA Shri. Vinod Ghosalkar, Shri Prakash Surve, Mr. Debi Goenka and Mr. Stalin from the Bombay Environmental Action group, the Tehsildar’s office members, around 15 members from our Forum, and around 6 people representing the land owners including their advocate were present.
At the outset, the SDO asked the people representing the owners as to where is Mr. Jayesh Shah. He was not present. Then the MLA showed the photographs which he had taken the very same morning, showing mangroves cut and debris dumped in the mangroves. The residents also were very agitated and demanded a complete stop to the activities here.
The SDO heard us and saw all the evidence and asked the owners advocate as to what was going on. He denied that anything was going on and wanted a complaint in writing.
The SDO said, let us visit the site. We the residents of the NLRRF, our MLA Shri Vinod Ghoslakar, a police constable from kanderpada beat chowki, Mr. Prakash Surve from the NCP and almost 40 people from the builder’s paid workers turned up as we entered the road near sea Breeze CHS at the northern end of the plot.
Mr. Hareshwar Patil and his boys from the local Agri Koli community sent back many of the residents as we were entering the site, as they did not want people to see the destruction going on. He had a heated argument with a lady from our forum.
As they walked in further, they snatched the cameras of Debi Goenka, Stalin and Harish Pandey, NLRRF Secretary, and threatened them saying they will kill them and throw their bodies in the mangroves.
The SDO was also threatened. He will make his report to the Mumbai suburban Collector along with official photographic evidence taken by the Tehsildar’s photographer.
Now we have enough evidence to pin the culprits, the local goons, Mr. Jayesh Shah the infamous builder of Ravi Group and his cronies. An MLA from Mira Bhayander is also involved in this.

Incidentally many of the buildings of the Ravi group are illegal and the residents have even filed a PIL against him.http://www.indianexpress.com/news/not-one-of-8-buildings-in-plush-set-is-fully-legal/558399/0
We will see to it that justice and truth prevails. God Bless.