A landslide on Sunday from Parsik Hill at Belapur has sent shock waves among the local residents and environmentalists who have been raising alarm at the uprooting of trees by land grab mafia. The incident occurred among the jogging-walking area at sector-9, Belapur, where many trees rolled down along with mud, fire brigade sources said. Luckily, none was hurt nor any vehicles parked in the area were damaged, NatConnect Foundation said.
“But the government must consider this as a clear warning signal and act to prevent any major mishap,” NatConnect director B N Kumar said in his ‘SOS’ message to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. A tech professional Shine Babu who heard crackling sounds rushed into his balcony to see the trees coming down. “This is the second such incident in our area in recent times,” he said. NatConnect Foundation which launched a campaign against destruction of greenery on Parsik and Belapur Hills said the area is under CIDCO control, as clarified by the Forest department in two different cases at the State Human Rights Commission.
Landgrabbers are building slums and illegal religious structures on the hills which are right across CIDCO headquarters, locals said. Save Balapur Hills forum co-convenor Kapil Kulkarni wondered if the officials were waiting for an Irshalwadi-type landslide in which Close to 80 people died and an entire village in Maharashtra’s Raigad district was wiped out in the landslide on July 2023.
NatConnect and Save Belapur Hills forum have conducted two human chains drawing attention to the destruction of trees, and construction that can cause major landslides. The volunteers also met CIDCO officials, including the Chief Vigilance Officer, many times yet there is no action seen, said activist Sudarshan Karnavat.