The National Environment Care Federation (NECF), based in Mangaluru, has called on the forest department to halt the Netravathi Waterfront Promenade project, which is being undertaken by Mangaluru Smart City Ltd. (MSCL). The NECF argued that the project destroys the fragile coastal ecosystem and violates Coastal Zone Regulation norms. In a letter to the Additional Chief Secretary, who is also the Chairperson of the Karnataka State Coastal Zone Management Authority, the NECF’s Secretary said that legal action would be taken if work did not stop within seven days.
The MSCL project was approved in July 2022, despite anomalies highlighted by the KSCZMA. The NECF argues that the project is being carried out without any supervision or plan and is destroying mangroves, which are protected under CRZ I regulations. Retired judge M.F. Saldanha has also raised concerns over the project.
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