Maharashtra: govt promises action to protect mangroves; `positive about carbon credits'

Action will be taken to stop the destruction of mangrove forests in Maharashtra, and the government is mulling giving carbon credits for the protection of mangroves on private land, it said on Friday.

The issue of threats to mangrove forests along the coast was raised in the legislative assembly by Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav. A survey is underway from the Gujarat border to Goa and it will provide information about the exact area under mangroves, Forest Minister Ganesh Naik said during the Question Hour. ''Instructions have been given to install CCTV cameras for the protection of mangrove forests in Palghar district. Officials of the Forest, Revenue and Home departments have been instructed to patrol these areas by turns. If (construction) debris from Mumbai is found being dumped in mangrove forests, legal action will be taken,'' Naik said. For the protection of mangroves on private land, the Government is positive about giving carbon credits to the owners, said environment minister Pankaja Munde.

Replying to a question by BJP MLA Sneha Dubey about encroachment on mangroves forests in Palghar district, she assured that strict legal action will be taken, adding that offences have already been registered in 19 cases.

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