For the past four months, slumlords have been hacking mangroves to make way for chawls just outside the Diva station. The Mumbra-Diva stretch had till now remained untouched by development after the mangroves were hacked in Bhiwandi and Kalyan-Dombivli.

When this reporter visited Diva as a prospective customer, it was found that chawls are coming up in just a week—right from raising the structures to laying roofs. “Just pay in advance and you can come here to stay,” says Deepak Munde, who identifies himself as a builder.

“And these aren’t mangroves and I haven’t killed any mangrove,” Munde told Newsline when asked about the environmental aspects of the constructions.

Rooms measuring 250 sq ft are being sold for Rs 2.5 lakh each. “Come next month, and you will have to pay Rs 3 lakh,” says Anil Kamble, who claims to be overseeing the construction.

“For the last five months, we have constructed more than eight to 10 chawls. But now with the demand for rooms increasing, we are preparing chawls in a week by working day and night,” Kamble said.

Similarly, land is being illegally reclaimed by dumping debris to construct three to four-storeyed buildings. A stroll in the area during high tide gives enough indication of the rising water level.

The debris has also blocked the traditional nullahs in Diva, posing a threat of floods.

Asked how they managed clearances from the civic body, Kamble said: “Yeh sab TMC ke log ham manage karte hain (We manage the TMC people)”. What about the dense mangrove jungles being hacked? “Sab thode din jungle mein mangal kar denge (In few days, we are going to make this a great place),” says Prakash Das, a local contractor.

Newsline has provided the TMC and Thane tehsildar photographic evidence of the illegal constructions.

“The construction is illegal and no permission has been granted by the civic body,” said TMC commissioner Nandkumar Jantre. Terming it an “organised racket of slumlords backed by locals”, Jantre said: “I have asked the departments (concerned) to look into this matter.”

When contacted, Deputy Conservator of Forest Bhaskarao Walimbe said: “I will look into this matter.”

Thane Tehsildar Nandkumar Koshti said: “We destroyed structures at the site last month. We will take immediate action again.”