Dahanu is recognized as the “region’s fruit and food bowl,” and the bulk of the people are either in farming or fishing. Along with seafood and lobster, one of Dahanu’s main exports is Bombay duck. This new action by the environment ministry has upset environmentalists and local residents, who are opposing the anticipated dissolution or weakening of the Dahanu authority’s powers. Villagers who are likely to be impacted by the projected Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail (MAHSR) project have been protesting since 2018 against a survey for the bullet train that is being conducted in a Dahanu hamlet while allegedly keeping people in the dark.
"Dahanu is densely forested with mango and chikoo [sapota] orchards. It also provides dry grass [fodder] for animals, which allows Mumbai residents to enjoy their daily share of dairy. Dahanu is the region’s final green patch, which the environment ministry wants to demolish, Phiroza Tafti of the Dahanu Taluka Environment Welfare Association, a local non-profit fighting to conserve the eco-fragile area, said.
The 1991 notification “imposed restrictions on the establishment of industries that have a negative impact on the environment, and established guidelines for the establishment of industries and industrial units in specific locations based on whether they were covered under the Green, Orange, or Red Category.”
Furthermore, the notice urged the state government to form a monitoring committee to guarantee compliance with the terms of the 1991 notification. The state government was also required to produce a master plan for the eco-fragile zone based on the taluka’s current land usage within a year of notice. However, little progress was achieved in this area.
The Union Ministry of Environment, in October 2022 petitioned the Supreme Court to replace the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority with a monitoring committee. Locals and environmentalists claim that such a move would expose the environmentally vulnerable Dahanu area to pillage.
Villagers in Dahanu object to the project
Currently, this body is endowed with “all the authorities required to conserve the environmentally vulnerable Dahanu Taluka and to regulate pollution in the said region” under Section 3(3) of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.
However, for the kind of process that it is, cloud seeding comes with its own set of challenges and questions about its effectiveness. The process of inducing precipitation requires the presence of moisture-laden clouds. It is not possible to carry out similar operations in dry conditions, thus reducing the scope of cloud seeding as a widespread practice. Cloud seeding does not hold much promise for restoring rainfall in regions without adequate rain-bearing clouds, thus limiting the success of various proposals.
The train is likely to depart from the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) and, according to reports, arrive in Gujarat at Sabarmati. It would cover 12 stations in Thane, Virar, Boisar, Vapi, Bilimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, and Ahmedabad.
10 Oct 2022
Eesha Javadekar
