Overview
- The BMC released the draft after a seven-year delay and closed a roughly month-long, English-only consultation that drew more than 26,000 petition signatures by October 17.
- The proposal divides the Eco-Sensitive Zone into three categories and permits construction, including eco-tourism facilities such as hotels and roads within the buffer.
- Environmentalists allege ESZ‑3 pockets inside Mumbai—over 210 acres across Aarey, Dindoshi, Gundgaon, Sai Bangoda, Yeoor and Mori—are excluded, exposing natural forests and wildlife corridors.
- Activists say river systems including the Oshiwara, Chena and Poisar receive scant protection, with a contested plan for a Chena riverfront inside the park.
- Critics add that about 61,000 encroachment cases are acknowledged without rehabilitation or real-time monitoring plans, and NGOs such as Vanashakti are urging a freeze on ESZ‑2 construction pending a review with the forest department.