Environmentalists move NGT to stop wall construction at Aksa beach

Environmentalists have moved the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to stop the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) from constructing a seawall at Aksa Beach.

The petitioners, NGO NatConnect Foundation director BN Kumar and activist Zoru Bhathena said they are "upset by the indiscriminate, illegal, and unnecessary construction.”

According to the appeal filed on Wednesday, the MMB violated the guidelines stated by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) for project proposals in various shapes from November 2018 to June 2021. Furthermore, the barrier breaches an order issued by a special court of the NGT prohibiting the construction of seawalls on any beaches in India, according to the plea.

In addition to the MMB, the petition included the MCZMA, the State Environment and Climate Control Department, and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Control (MOEFCC) as respondents.

The activists raised the matter after learning that MMB was using earth movers to remove the sand, level the beach, and concretize a vast expanse of the beach, purportedly to build a concrete bund. They reported violations to the Chief Minister and the MOEFCC.Open in app