Panel visits notified forests, holds hearings

The areas on the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park SGNP like Thane, Mulund, Vikhroli on the eastern suburbs and few areas in Malad, Kandivili and Poisar in the western suburbs are affected by the decision to notify land as private forest land. This includes some huge housing complexes as well as settlements in existence for over six decades.

Several residents8217; associations, slum-dwellers affected due to this and ex-MPs Ram Naik and Kirit Somiya also submitted their documents to the CEC. Though he refused to speak to reporters, CEC told the people present: 8220;Our job is to give accurate information to the SC as we are a fact-finding committee.8221;

The issue came to a head in 2002 after the Bombay Environmental Action Group filed a petition in the Bombay High Court over encroachment on forest land. In 2005, the government told the HC there were encroachments on private forest land. While the HC ruling went against residents and builders, residents8217; associations filed a Special Leave Petition in the SC, after which the panel was formed.