The three-member panel headed by T V Jaikrishna visited Thane, Mulund and Vikhroli.

The areas on the periphery of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) like Thane, Mulund, Vikhroli on the eastern suburbs and few areas in Malad, Kandivili and Poisar in the western suburbs are affected by the decision to notify land as private forest land. This includes some huge housing complexes as well as settlements in existence for over six decades.

Several residents’ associations, slum-dwellers affected due to this and ex-MPs Ram Naik and Kirit Somiya also submitted their documents to the CEC. Though he refused to speak to reporters, CEC told the people present: “Our job is to give accurate information to the SC as we are a fact-finding committee.”