Locals and Environmentalists Demand Action over Landslide-prone Belapur Hills Before Monsoon

Ahead of the monsoon season in the Mumbai Metropolitan region, known to deal with plenty of issues during the incessant rains, the sword of danger hangs over the head of Navi Mumbai, especially for the Belapur residents who live close to the nearby hill. 

There lie a total of 29 temples that have already been considered “illegal” by the courts and state government orders. The temples are built on the landslide-prone Belapur hillslopes, and after the inaction of the CIDCO against them, environmentalists have moved to the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MSHRC) with their concerns. 

“We are not against the temples. But there is a fear of disaster on the hills, especially in the monsoon season,” says activist B N Kumar. Adding to it, he further says that in times of festivals, these festivals can even accommodate a thousand people at a time. “We can understand the damage to lives that can be caused. Plus, it is also a loss for the temples because if something happens, they will roll down the hills as well,” Kumar says.

The locals and the environmentalists around the Belapur Hill and the Parsik Hill have been protesting against the landslide from the hills. Reportedly, the HRC, taking a suo moto cognisance of the media reports on the people’s concerns, had ordered CIDCO and Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) back in August 2024 to act against the temples on the hills.

However, as a result of inaction even after that, NatConnect Foundation has applied an intervention once again. The application requests the HRC to order CIDCO to adhere to the order and also file a report on the action taken.

Passing over categories amidst fear among locals

Just two years back, reportedly, 80 people had died in the landslide that took place on July 23, 2023.

According to the Supreme Court orders, any illegal religious structure in public places should be categorised for either i) demolition, ii) regularisation, or relocation. The Belapur hill temples fall under the first category, and notices were already served to them after a joint survey by CIDCO and NMMC.

However, another activist Krishnan Potti has mentioned that some temples have also started expansion despite the CIDCO notices to them. 

Earlier, CIDCO had even tried to pass the onus to NMMC. But the state government had clearly stated that the hill area is under CIDCO.

As per the information obtained by the NatConnect under the RTI Act, the state urban development department has repeatedly called upon CIDCO and NMMC to demolish the illegal temples as per the courts as well as the HRC orders. 

Himanshu Katkar, an activist and advocate, says, “With no action forthcoming from CIDCO, we have also complained to the chief vigilance officer Suresh Mengade, who merely promised to look into the issue.”

The residents surrounding the area had also formed human chains twice to direct the focus attention of authorities towards the dangers posed by on the hill soil “Forests have become have loose due to uprooting of hundreds of trees for the construction and the actions have to be taken immediately,” says the director of NatConnect, Kumar.