Nearly 10,000 villagers of Bhandup echo Pawar’s feelings. “We’d rather work in the place that we have inhabited for years than find jobs elsewhere,” they say. “Besides, we know how living in the mangrove area saved us during the June 26, 2006, floods. We will be proud to see this land develop as a tourism zone.”

The state government's forest department will soon sign a formal agreement with NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT) to develop the 452-hectare wetland between Bhandup and Kanjurmarg as a Mangrove Wetland Centre (MWC), the first of its kind in India.

Still a proposal, CAT plans to submit a master plan of the park— which will have a visitors’ centre, interpretation centre, guided nature trail, bird watching and a specialized observation cubicles — by November.

Vivek Kulkarni, director of CAT, says, “We are working on a two-pronged approach. One, to involve the locals in the park activity, and the other, to find eco-friendly alternatives to set it up. For example, we are planning a bridge to run through the park, and want to construct it with recycled plastic. If this plan works out, we can find a solution to the city’s plastic waste problem.” The park will comply to the Coastal Regulation Zone rules, he said.

The MWC would be developed in three phases —planning, construction and operational phase-and the entire park will be functional by 2011. However, the nature trail is scheduled to be open to the public by November, this year. “The idea is to give people an opportunity to understand and enhance the city’s ecosystem. The locals are the best ambassadors of the land because they know and respect the land infinitely,” he said. Today, a need to survive has forced a number of villagers to take up jobs in building construction, road works and even illegal activities, but they will always prefer returning to their roots, Kulkarni said.

Chief Conservator of forest Shree Bhagwan says, “We should be signing the agreement by next week, after which CAT can begin working on the project. However, the plans have been discussed and we have informally given our go-ahead in March itself. In fact, we even want our staff to be trained in the mangrove issue so that they are proactive during in the setting up of the park.”