CAUSES FOR NON-APPLICABILITY AS WELL AS FUTILITY OF CRZ II PROVISIONS TO C & D WARDS
AND
REASONING FOR REMOVAL OF CRZ II FROM C & D WARDS

We, the inhabitants of ‘C’ and ‘D’ Wards of Bombay who are staying in the shadow of death in 1,110, most unsafe and dilapidated buildings of C & D Ward hereby make this petition to put forward the difficulties faced by us and appeal to the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MOEF) to consider the removal/ relaxation of CRZ II norms in the ‘C’ and ‘D’ Wards of Mumbai.

1. We are presently living in precarious old cess buildings, which are authorized structures of permanent nature, and most of which are more than 80 to 100 years old.
    
2. This area has been urbanized for more than a century. Between the HTL and the 200 meter line there is the
   
   1. Marine Drive Promenade
   2. 180 feet wide Netaji Subhaschandra Road
   3. Large cricket Maidans
   4. Four track arterial western railway line
   5. Maharishi Karve Road which is an arterial road
   6. After the 200 meter line is a parallel barrier strip of crematorium and burial ground of average 50-100 meter width.  

   These features of urbanization have existed since more than a century in the current area and hence the area has been developed. The area is not covered with mangroves or does not display other features of coastal ecology which need preservation.

3. This area does not have features of a coastline, like mangroves or sand dunes, which require protection. Thus the Ministry needs to apply the laws keeping the geographical context in mind and not as per a blanket policy of certain parameters from the High Tide Line. Most of the structures in this area are prior to 1991, i.e. before the enactment of the CRZ Act.

More
Presentation
 

 

Recent events

 

• Letter sent to M S Swaminathan regarding solutions for sustainable growth

• Memorandum to Hon’ble Shri. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of MoEF (Independent Charge) regarding Relaxation of CRZ provisions in C & D wards 

   

  The Chronology of events is as follows 

  28-Jun-08	Massive public meeting regarding the relaxation of CRZ from C & D wards
  9-Jul-08	Petition for Relaxation of CRZ to Shri. Namo Narain Meena – Minister, MOEF
  4-Oct-08	20th Nov, 5th Dec, 15th Dec, 17th Mar - Follow up on Petition to Shri. Namo Narain Meena - Minister of State for Environment & Forests (New Delhi)
  2-Apr-09	Application to RTI, 2005 to Member Secretary, MCZMA, enquiring about action taken on the GOI letter and our follow up letter.
  13-May-09		Application to RTI, 2005 to Appellate Authority, Public Information Officer MCZMA, Mumbai as no response to our RTI application to Member Secretary, MCZMA, was required.
  2-Jun-09		Intimation for Hearing from Appellate Authority.
  13-Jun-09		Hearing Held on 9th June 2009 Full set of above documents submitted.
  17-Jun-09		Intimation for 2nd Hearing on 22nd June 2009
  22-Jun-09		Presentation made to MCZMA
  08-Jul-09		Presentation made to M S Swaminathan Expert committee, New Delhi
  31-Jul-09		Letter sent to M S Swaminathan regarding solutions for sustainable growth.
  08-Aug-09		Massive public meeting/seminar regarding the relaxation of CRZ from C & D wards
  12-Aug-09		Memorandum to Hon’ble Shri. Jairam Ramesh, Minister of Environment and Forest ( Independent Charge) regarding Relaxation of CRZ provisions from C & D wards