Mumbai's Secret - Story of Maharashtra Nature Park

OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION MUMBAI
Ideas and Action for a Better India
MUMBAI'S
SECRET
Story of Maharashtra Nature Park
Devashree Sharma | Gautam Kirtane | Dhaval Desai | Riddhi Chokhawala
www.maharashtranaturepark.org
Foundation
Published by
OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION


NKM International House, 5th Floor, 178, Backbay Reclamation,
Babubhai Chinai Marg, Nariman Point, Mumbai - 400 020, India
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Copyright © Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, 2013.
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of the copyright owner.
ISBN: 978-81-86818-01-5
Design: Rahil Shaikh Miya
Printing: Sharda Printers, Mumbai

Table Of Contents
Foreword 1
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Executive Summary 11
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Objectives of the Report 17

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Methodology 19
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History of MNP 25
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MNP at Present 36
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MNP Offerings 59
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Visitors 63
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Visitor Experience 69
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Neighbourhood 73
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Management 80
Recommendations 97
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Vision 129
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Case Studies 140

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Annexure 1: Interview with Shanta Chatterji - Former Chairperson,

World Wildlife Fund (WWF-I) India 148
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Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga - Wildlife Photographer 152

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Annexure 3: List of MNP's Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians,

Butterflies and Spiders 156
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Annexure 4: Existing MNPS Board of Governors and Staff Profile 170

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Annexure 5: Content Map of proposed MNP Website 173
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Annexure 6: Impact Prediction of proposed Mangrove Nature Park by

Dr. Santosh Tungare - Environment Consultant 174
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Annexure 7: List of Materials for Construction 179
......................................................................................................................................................
Pictures of the model showing proposed transformation of MNP 182

Afterword and Long-Term Vision 185

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Acknowledgments 187
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References 190
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About the Authors 192

List Of Abbreviations
AV – Audiovisual
BKC – Bandra Kurla Complex
BMC – Brihanmumbai/ Bombay Municipal Corporation
BMRDA – Bombay Metropolitan Region Development Authority
BNHS – Bombay Natural History Society
CEC – Conservation Education Centre
EIA – Environmental Impact Assessment
EVS – Environmental Studies
GoM – Government of Maharashtra
HSBC - Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
ICICI - Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India
IIT – Indian Institute of Technology
IL&FS - Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd.
MCGM – Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai
MMRDA – Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority
MNP – Maharashtra Nature Park
MNPS – Maharashtra Nature Park Society
MPNR – Mai Po Nature Reserve
NABARD - National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
NEERI – National Environmental Engineering Research Institute
NIO – National Institute of Oceanography
NSS – National Service Scheme
ORF – Observer Research Foundation
PPP – Public–Private Partnership

PPS – Project for Public Spaces
PR – Public Relations
PTC – Plant Tissue Culture
SEBI - Secruties and Exchange Board of India
SIDBI - Small Industries Development Bank of India
SGNP – Sanjay Gandhi National Park
SPGMEC – Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre
TERI – The Energy and Resources Institute
TIFR – Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
UTI - Unit Trust of India
WWF-I – World Wildlife Fund India
List Of Figures
Figure 1.1 Yearly visits to MNP (1994-2000)

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Figure 1.2 Group and individual visitors to MNP (1994-2011)

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Figure 1.3 Month-wise visitors to MNP

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Figure 1.4 MNPS' Board of Governors

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Figure 1.5 MNP’s current management structure

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Figure 1.6 MNPS' recommended structure of Board of Governors

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Figure 1.7 Proposed management structure of MNP

List Of Tables
Table 2.1 Parameters to make MNP ecologically, socially and

economically sustainable
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Table 2.2 Stakeholders and material issues

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Table 2.3 Month-wise visitors to MNP

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Table 2.4 MNP’s five-year comparative accounts statement

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Table 2.5 Proposed new timings

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Table 2.6 Expected footfalls in MNP

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Table 2.7 List of birds of MNP

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Table 2.8 List of amphibians and reptiles of MNP

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Table 2.9 List of butterflies of MNP

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Table 2.10 List of spiders of MNP

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Table 2.11 Board of Governors of MNP

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Table 2.12 Existing staff profile of MNP

List Of Maps
Map 3.1 Stations and municipal wards neighbouring MNP

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Map 3.2 Original seven islands and subsequent growth of Mumbai

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Map 3.3 Change in Mithi River Estuary between 1976 and 2005
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Map 3.4 Location of MNP

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Map 3.5 Location of Riwa Fort

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Map 3.6 MNP's strategic location

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Map 3.7 MNP's existing layout

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Map 3.8 Unused 10 acres of MNP

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Map 3.9 Mangroves surrounding MNP

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Map 3.10 Mithi River

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Map 3.11 Slums surrounding MNP

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Map 3.12 Prem Nagar slum encroachment 2005-2010

Map 3.13 Bandra-Kurla Complex

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Map 3.14 Proposed zonal map for MNP and Mangrove Nature Park
......................................................................................................................................................
Map 3.15 Consolidated Connectivity Map

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12 Executive Summary Ideas and Action for a Better India
Foreword
Baronet Butterfly, Euthalia nais

Insects comprise more than half of earth’s diversity of species. Butterflies are generally regarded as one of the
best taxonomically studied groups of insects and approximately 734 species of butterflies commonly occur in
the Indian subcontinent. The Baronet is a species of Nymphalid butterfly found in the plains of India and the
lower Himalayas, Southern India and Sri Lanka.
Source: Adesh Shivkar
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Ideas and Action for a Better India Foreword 1
01
Foreword
M NP, a tranquil getaway amidst the city’s bustling life,

truly is nature’s gift to Mumbai and especially to the
Bandra-Kurla Complex community. Let the ORF Mumbai Report
serve as a blueprint for reclaiming this environmental wonder
and transforming it into a much sought-after inner-city park
for outdoor life and recreation and also as a knowledge hub.
At Reliance Foundation, we look forward to being part of
this initiative.
Nita M. Ambani,
ni Chairperson,
M . Amba
Nita Reliance Foundation
erson,
Chairp Foundation
ce
Relian
.........
2 Foreword Ideas and Action for a Better India
M umbai attracts and repels with equal force. As

India’s capital for commerce and finance, it has
enormous entrepreneurial energy. As home to Bollywood,
it continues to invite creative talent from around the country
and also finds a place in the imagination of Hindi movie-
lovers around the globe. In the hearts of its teeming millions,
who are among the most hard-working and harried in the
world, hope of a better life in the city — even something
as basic as moving from a slum hutment to a one BHK or
travelling in a less crowded local train — still lingers.
rni
r a K ulka
i
u d h eend F Mumba However, apart from long-neglected infrastructure needs,
S O R
man,
Chair what both visitors to Mumbai and also its proud residents
detest is the growing squalor and congestion in almost
‘
every part of the city and its sprawling suburbs and satellite
towns. Open and green spaces, which are as critical to the
One of the first conditions health and survival of a city as oxygen is to the human body,
of happiness is that the link
between Man and Nature
‘ are rapidly shrinking. Even the existing pockets of greenery
are under danger of extinction. A prime example of this
is the gradual degradation of the Sanjay Gandhi National
shall not be broken.
Park near Borivali, which is the largest national park within
- Leo Tolstoy
city limits anywhere in the world. When, after a long day
at work or on weekends, Mumbaikars want to step out of
their cramped homes to get some fresh air, there are very
few places left that facilitate their quiet and contemplative contact with nature.
.........
My experience has been the same as any other visitor’s: as soon as one steps
into this little forest, nature begins to work its magic. Birds, butterflies, tiny
creatures of the soil, shafts of sunlight that pierce through the canopy of tall
trees, an artificially created lake and, most amazingly, the near-total absence
of the noise of the city — all these make MNP an ideal place for recreation,
education and meditation.
We at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) Mumbai, a public policy think tank, have
identified India’s urban renewal as one of the several verticals for study and advocacy. Since
we are located in Mumbai, we are deeply committed to contributing, in our own humble way, to
the city’s all-round renewal, an imperative that has so far received woefully inadequate attention
from the national, state and local governments. One of the most neglected determinants of the
quality of life in Mumbai is the alarming state of its few, and precariously surviving, open and
green spaces.
In May 2011, ORF Mumbai published a first-of-its-kind research-based report, accompanied

by a documentary film, titled Making the
Sewer... A River Again ~ Why Mumbai
Must Reclaim Its Mithi. The report and the
film were the outcome of a painstaking study by
an ORF team comprising Gautam Kirtane, Dhaval
Desai and Riddhi Chokhawala. Our study not only
highlighted the dreadful conditions of the river —
its flooding during the torrential rains of 2005 was
one of the causes of the tragedy that resulted in
the deaths of nearly a thousand people — but also
made detailed recommendations for its restoration,
.........
the beautification of its environs and the creation of several facilities and attractions. Our focus
on the Mithi’s transformation was for obvious reasons. Since the river flows through a large part
of Mumbai, and is in some ways associated with the birth of the city itself, we believed that the
Mithi’s rebirth would become emblematic of Mumbai’s own much-awaited rebirth.
Our report and film on the Mithi River’s comprehensive redevelopment received an appreciative
response from diverse stakeholders in the city, and also from environmental activists around
the country. We were especially pleased when Shri Rahul Asthana, then chief of the Mumbai
Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which has the mandate for the
redevelopment of the Mithi, warmly welcomed our effort. Indeed, he went a step further. The
restoration of the river and redevelopment of its surrounding areas in a world-class manner, as
suggested by the ORF’s report, would necessarily take a long time, he opined. He, therefore,
asked us to carry out a more focussed study on improving the Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP,
also known as Mahim Nature Park), which is located on the southern bank of the Mithi before
it flows into the sea. Transformation of MNP, with the adoption of several innovative ideas
proposed in ORF’s Mithi report, would be “a low-hanging fruit”, Shri Asthana said. We readily
and enthusiastically accepted his suggestion.
The outcome of our follow-up study, Mumbai’s Secret: Story of Maharashtra Nature
Park, is now in your hands. Like the original report on the Mithi, this also is first-of-its-kind
and is published in both English and Marathi. This, too, is accompanied by a creatively made
documentary film. Besides a special website, we have also produced another innovative
element: a prototype model of how we would like the transformed MNP to look. Since we wish
to build a strong advocacy around our study, we have consciously decided to present it through
various communication formats. I wish to heartily congratulate the ORF team that has produced
.........
the report, film, model and the website — Devashree Sharma, Gautam Kirtane, Dhaval Desai
and Riddhi Chokhawala. I also wish to recognise several others who have contributed to this
effort — Leena Wadia, Tiffany Chan, Radhika Suchday, Prithvi Hirani and Aviva Alvares.
I have a special attachment to the subject of this study. I have visited MNP innumerable times.
My experience has been the same as any other visitor’s: as soon as one steps into this little
forest, nature begins to work its magic. Birds, butterflies, tiny creatures of the soil, shafts of
sunlight that pierce through the canopy of tall trees, an artificially created lake and, most
amazingly, the near-total absence of the noise of the city — all these make MNP an ideal place
for recreation, education and meditation.
However, the blissful experience is marred by the totally uninviting environs at the entrance
to the park, the poisonously polluted state of the Mithi on the rear side of the park, and the
filth that pervades a large part of the MNP that has been allowed to be encroached upon. No
wonder, MNP attracts very few visitors. This is a pity, since, as this report highlights, such inner-
city areas have been developed into aesthetically designed sanctuaries of tranquility attracting
large numbers of people in Singapore, Hong Kong, New York and other global cities.
There is also another reason MNP’s transformation should be close to every Mumbaikar’s
heart. Unbelievably, as our report describes, this park was created on a municipal landfill! The
project was conceptualised and executed in the early 1980s by visionary-citizens of Mumbai
(then Bombay) like the late Dr. Salim Ali, Charles Correa, Pheroza Godrej, Shanta Chatterji and
others. It was truly a pathbreaking urban renewal project at the time. What my colleagues at
ORF Mumbai have proposed through this report carries forward that pioneering vision.
.........
I would like to gratefully mention here that our study has drawn inspiration from the work of
the Project for Public Spaces (PPS, a reputed New York-based not-for-profit organisation) and
UN HABITAT, which has helped over 2,500 communities in 40 countries preserve and promote
open and green public places like parks, squares, waterfronts and civic centres. Both PPS
and UN HABITAT had appreciated our earlier report on the Mithi River. I am sure they will be
pleased to see this report, too, since it seeks to promote their own lofty agenda of pro-people
and ecologically sustainable urban development.
We do hope that the Government of Maharashtra, the city’s municipal corporation and elected
representatives take this report — as also our previous report on the Mithi River — seriously and
act on their recommendations. We urge influential citizens of Mumbai to lend their support to
the proposed landmark project for environmental rejuvenation and urban transformation right
in the middle of the city.
Lastly, we urge the state and local governments — indeed, all those who care about the future
of our city — to give serious consideration to our thoughts in the 'Afterword and Long-Term
We have a special appeal to make to the rapidly growing community of

corporates in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC). Their gleaming office buildings,
located on the opposite bank of the Mithi river, overlook the MNP. The two
banks would be connected if our reports on the holistic transformation of the
MNP and the Mithi are implemented. The BKC community would be a direct
beneficiary, even though the projects would also serve the needs of the entire
citizenry of Mumbai, especially those residing in Dharavi and other nearby
areas. Indeed, BKC’s future development as well as the ongoing debate on
Dharavi’s redevelopment should incorporate ORF’s recommendations on the
Mithi and the MNP. Hence, what we are proposing has the potential to serve
another major end: Mumbai’s social re-integration.
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Vision' (pages 182-183), which is an extension of the vision we had spelt out in our earlier
report on reclaiming the Mithi River. All of us have an opportunity, and a duty, to give a uniquely
beautiful gift to a city that has given us so much.
We do hope that the twin reports of ORF Mumbai will act as the catalyst to promote an
ambitious, innovative and inclusive approach to the city’s renewal. We welcome your comments,
suggestions and active participation in this campaign.
Sudheendra Kulkarni,
Chairman,
Observer Research Foundation Mumbai
.........
M umbai lacks green and open spaces. Maharashtra Nature

Park at Mahim is one of the rare and priceless natural
endowments that the city has. MNP and its surrounding mangroves
should be protected and preserved as an environmental asset for
the benefit of all the people of Mumbai.
I commend the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai for

undertaking a detailed study about the comprehensive and
eco-friendly transformation of MNP and its environs. This
will complement the ongoing efforts for the restoration
e r, and rejuvenation of the Mithi River, and also for the
u l A s thana C o m mission
Rah olitan redevelopment of its surrounding areas.
r m e r Metrop
F o
A
MMRD
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority
(MMRDA) is committed to protecting and developing Mumbai’s green
spaces. I appeal to the citizens of Mumbai to help us fulfil this commitment.
In the specific context of the Mithi River and MNP, I appeal to the business community at
Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) to partner with MMRDA in implementing iconic urban renewal
projects in this part of Mumbai.
Rahul Asthana,
Former Metropolitan Commissioner,
Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority
.........
I ntensive brain storming and strenuous leg-work transpired

prior to 1977, when WWF-India proposed the creation of an
environmental education and recreation centre. As pioneers, they
dared to dream what then seemed an impossible dream – of
converting a municipal garbage dump, suffocating piles of the
worst filth, situated on the Sion-Bandra Link Road, into a life-
giving green lung for Mumbai’s residents gasping for clean,
fresh air.
Maharashtra Nature Park is undoubtedly a dream come

true and the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai
drej list
h e r o za Go vironmenta has made a significant attempt to propose several
P en
torian,
Art his r recommendations to make this leafy acreage into a
rite
and w
laboratory for the finest specimens of birds, butterflies,
insects and vegetative cover of different hues of colour, shapes and sizes.
Nature is our best teacher and over the years several lakhs of school children and adults have
benefitted from lessons well learnt in this natural setting.
Focus of attention should now be directed towards the positive and it is my wish that the
management of the park be open to viable recommendations.
Maharashtra Nature Park is a gift to the people of Mumbai and it is in the best interest of
present and future generations that what has been created with so much thought, hard work
and sacrifice, be protected, nurtured and preserved for posterity.
Pheroza Godrej,
Art historian, environmentalist and writer
.........
Executive Summary
Bird-dropping Moth Acontia graellsii

Camouflage helps animals to survive in the wild by providing protection from predators. Many creatures in
the insect world implement this strategy as a form of protection, including many butterflies, whose caterpillars
look like bird droppings as well.
.........
02
Executive Summary
I t’s difficult to imagine anything beautiful and blissful right in the middle of one of the world’s
largest slum settlements on the one side and Mumbai's largest open gutter on the other1.
Yet, sandwiched between Dharavi and the Mithi River, which has been reduced to a sewer
due to years of human abuse, is an amazing oasis
of green. Maharashtra Nature Park (MNP), often
referred to as Mahim Nature Park, is a forest that
is an island of tranquillity in the middle of chaos,
clutter, confusion and madness of Mumbai. Situated
on the edge of the ecologically sensitive estuarine
mudflats of the Mithi River, with skyscrapers of
Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) for company on
the other side, MNP is a sanctuary that provides
a habitat for a variety of flora and fauna. In any
other setting, the 37-acre MNP would have been
«
Lush greenery of MNP.

a premium public space attracting people from all
over the city. Sadly, however, this is not the case.
Most people in Mumbai, even those living and
working in the park’s neighbourhood, are not aware of its existence.
Mumbai lacks open spaces. There is only 0.03 acres of open space available for every 1,000
.........
residents2. This means that each resident has only 1.30 square feet of open space as against
the global and national standards of 118 and 174 square feet respectively3. According to India’s
National Building Code there should be at least four acres of open spaces, accessible to all, per
1,000 residents. Open public spaces are often encroached upon by slum settlements, used as
garbage dumps or usurped in the name of development.
Mumbai lacks open spaces. At 0.03 acres per thousand persons, Mumbai has
the least amount of open space in the world. This means that each resident
has only 1.30 square feet of open space as against the global and national
standards of 118 and 174 square feet respectively.
Even a few of the city’s beaches and parks that have remained free from human encroachments
so far, for example, the Juhu Beach, Prabhadevi’s Shivaji Park and Dadar’s Five Gardens are in
a state of neglect and suffering from years of apathy from the public and government. Notably,
many such places in the city have been preseved so far due to the constant vigil and struggle
of a few spirited citizens’ groups.
Research shows that green open spaces have a positive impact on people4. Green spaces
help people reduce stress and anxiety5 making them less susceptible to lifestyle ailments6. It
is, therefore, imperative to not only create more open spaces, but also conserve and enhance
existing ones. Given this backdrop, MNP’s significance as one of the largest open spaces
in the centre of Mumbai cannot be understated. The 18-km-long Mithi River, which empties
its polluted waters into the Arabian Sea, runs along the edge of MNP through clumps of
mangrove forest in its estuarine reach. From MNP, across the river, one can see the BKC. MNP
is surrounded by Mahim, Bandra, Kurla, Dharavi and Sion — all, important suburbs of Mumbai.
It also lies in the centre of several municipal wards — F (North), G (North), H (East), L and M
(West). MNP is located along the Sion-Bandra Link Road, a major arterial road, which connects
.........
to the National Highway (NH4). The park is accessible from Bandra, Sion and Chunnabhatti
railway stations. It is adjacent to Dharavi Bus Depot and Riwa Fort, also known as Kala Qilla.
MNP’s significance as one of the largest open spaces in the centre of Mumbai
cannot be understated. The 18-km-long Mithi River, which empties its polluted
waters into the Arabian Sea, runs along the edge of the MNP through clumps
of mangrove forest in its estuarine reach.
MNP’s conservation, maintenance, and improvement are of utmost importance. The near
total ignorance of MNP, which otherwise has the potential to become an attraction for global
tourists like Hyde Park in London and Central Park in New York, speaks volumes of the city’s
apathetic attitude to preserving
Map 3.1 Stations and municipal wards neighbouring MNP and promoting its treasures.
In May 2011, ORF Mumbai

released a report and
documentary film ‘Making the
Sewer… A River Again ~
Why Mumbai Must Reclaim
its Mithi’ on the polluted Mithi
River. The mangroves in the
estuarine reach of the river, most
of which adjoin MNP’s northern
«
boundary, act as green lungs

of the city. Drawing inspiration
from international, national and
Satellite Imagery Source: Google Earth local best practices, the study
GIS Credit: Gautam Kirtane
.........
recommends a 21-point programme for reclaiming the Mithi, envisaging a single and unbroken
Mithi River-Park Corridor spanning across the entire 18-km-length of the river with dedicated
bicycle tracks, gardens, amphitheatres, sports and recreation facilities. ORF Mumbai believes
that MNP, which abuts the Mithi’s most environmentally sensitive estuarine reach, presents
an ideal location for the Government of Maharashtra to start the process of the Mithi River
transformation as envisioned by this study.
This report recommends a series of measures on how the current governance structure of
MNP must be comprehensively restructured and how its facilities made more accessible. It
proposes MNP’s transformation into one of the city’s iconic destinations that will put Mumbai
among select cities to have reinforced its priceless natural endowments.
The genesis of MNP dates back to the 1970s, when a few visionary citizens
and spirited bureaucrats came together to undertake a seemingly impossible
task of transforming a municipal garbage dump into a nature park. Today, MNP
once again presents an opportunity for the city to rediscover its enterprising
spirit.
MNP is neither a park like New York City’s Central Park or Mumbai’s Hanging Gardens nor
is it a national park with a conservation status like Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). Even
its legal status as a ‘protected area’ is ambiguous. There is no mention of MNP in the list of
protected areas in Maharashtra prepared by the state government’s forest department. The only
protected area mentioned in the district-wise list of protected areas by the department is SGNP,
which is situated in the city’s northern suburb of Borivali and extends into Thane and Thane
Rural districts7. The solutions to MNP’s issues must, therefore, be unique, while maintaining the
intrinsic ethos, culture, philosophy and purpose of the park. The genesis of MNP dates back
to the 1970s, when a few visionary citizens and public-spirited bureaucrats came together to
.........
undertake a seemingly impossible task of transforming a municipal garbage dump into a nature
park. Today, MNP once again presents an opportunity for the city to rediscover its spirit of
innovation and self-renewal.
Our key recommendations include an overhaul of MNP’s management and governance structures
and refurbishment of its existing infrastructure to improve visitor experience. Importantly, ORF
Mumbai’s vision for MNP, which is based on the concepts of walkable urbanity, open public
spaces and inclusive and seamless connectivity, proposes a pedestrian and cycle-only bridge
between the MNP and BKC, a promenade along the northern boundary of MNP, conversion of
the currently wasted 10-acre area of the park into a public recreational area and establishment
of a Biodiversity Reserve. Implementing ORF Mumbai’s vision will add 3.2 acres of
wooded area to the park, thus expanding its green footprint. (All area calculations
are derived from Google Earth.)
1 Mumbai drowns in own filth: Only 40% have sewer access: The Indian Express, 8th August
2005 http://www.indianexpress.com/storyOld.php?storyId=75877
2 Breathing Space – A Fact File of 600 Reserved Open Spaces in Greater Mumbai: Citispace,
June 2010
3 Audit of Public Open Spaces in Mumbai, Pankaj Joshi: Urban Design Research Institute,
November 2007
4 People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space: Clare Coopper Marcus, Carolyn
Francis: Project for Public Spaces (PPS), 2nd Revised Edition, 1998.
5 Last Child in the Woods, Louv, Richard, Chapel Hill: Algonquin, 2006.
6 Evaluating the benefits of urban green space - progressing the research agenda, Dr Anna
Jorgensen, Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield.
7 List of protected areas in Maharashtra:
http://envis.maharashtra.gov.in/envis_data/?q=protected_areas
.........
Objectives of the Report
Black Drongo, Dicrurus macrocercus

It is a common resident breeder in much of tropical southern Asia from southwestern Iran through India and
Sri Lanka, eastern to southern China and Indonesia. Their habit of preying on bees makes them a nuisance
to bee-keepers, but farmers attract them to their fields using artificial perches to encourage them to feed on
pest insects.
Source: Dhaval Desai
.........
Objectives of the Report 17
03
Objectives of the Report
T he report documents all aspects of MNP from its genesis till date, evaluates its
performance in light of its core purpose and its current relevance, and presents a vision
for its transformation. It identifies the potential of MNP and suggests measures to unleash it.
This study should not be construed as an attempt to criticise the efforts put in by the MNP
management. It should be seen as an effort to provide an actionable agenda in terms of how
the park management can function more effectively and efficiently to best achieve the main
purpose of its existence. This report makes concrete recommendations to improve MNP’s
infrastructure, security, management, surrounding environment, including the neighbouring
slums, its educational offerings and communications. The recommendations are followed by a
vision for the transformation of MNP to make it a world-class landmark.
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18 Objectives of the Report Ideas and Action for a Better India
Methodology
Indian Laburnum Tree, Cassia fistula

This native of India, commonly known as Amaltaas or golden shower tree, is one of the most beautiful of
all tropical trees when it sheds its leaves and bursts into a mass of long, grape-like bunches of yellow-gold
flowers. It is the state flower of Kerala in India and of immense importance amongst Malayali population. It is
a popular ornamental plant and is used in herbal medicine.
.........
Methodology 19
04
Methodology
O ver a period of a year, the ORF Mumbai team took several approaches, including
interviews with experts, primary and secondary research, data analysis and fieldwork, to
learn about the state of MNP. The lack of up-to-date information and poor documentation often
presented challenges to the research. The park, for instance, does not have a website nor does
it maintain documentation of the history and biodiversity of MNP.
Information and qualitative data was mainly collected through personal interviews with experts.
The questionnaires were open-ended in order to collect perspectives that would help shape ORF
Mumbai’s holistic understanding of issues affecting MNP. To ensure that the recommendations
and vision presented in this report were both inclusive and true to the intrinsic values of the
MNP, our team conducted a series of brainstorming exercises. These exercises helped identify
and rank the key stakeholders of MNP. Stakeholders were broadly defined as those groups
or individuals expected to significantly impact or be impacted by, MNP’s existence, its services
and/ or its products. Once identified, the stakeholders were ranked in order of importance.
The Maharashtra Nature Park Society (MNPS) and the residents from the neighbouring slums
ranked highest.
.........
20 Methodology Ideas and Action for a Better India
1. MNPS
2. Neighbouring Slum Residents
3. Employees
4. Visitors
5. Educational Institutions
6. Government
7. Corporate Organisations
8. NGOs
A similar exercise was done to identify the key material issues, which were defined as issues of
the greatest significance to MNP and its stakeholders. These material issues were then cross-
referenced with the key stakeholders using a materiality matrix that represents the importance
of each material issue to each stakeholder on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being least concerned, 5 being
most concerned) against how each material issue would impact them.
The value of importance attributed by each stakeholder to a particular material issue was
adjusted using a multiplication factor, or a weightage system, based on the rank of the
stakeholder. The materiality matrix was used to determine the most important material issues.
Here, connectivity and services offered by the park ranked highest. The team then examined
the existing objectives of the MNPS and ran them through a filter of the materiality matrix to
arrive at the ethos of MNP. This ethos was thus evolved from a combination of what the park
set out to achieve and what its relevance is today to a diverse group of stakeholders.
.........
Methodology 21
‘ To create an inclusive
and environmentally
sustainable habitat for
recreation and community
‘
Ethos of MNP
ORF Mumbai identified the key parameters that will
make MNP truly sustainable — ecologically, socially and
economically.
participation. Recommendations and the proposed vision for the park’s

transformation have been carefully arrived at by consistently
adhering to the key parameters that constitute the ethos of
MNP. ORF Mumbai's recommendations and vision were accordingly filtered using MNP’s ethos
as a guide. Even recommendations made within the framework of the vision for Mithi River-Park
Corridor, set out in ORF Mumbai's earlier study on the river, were run though this.
Table 2.1
Parameters to make MNP ecologically, socially and economically sustainable:
Ecology Social Economic

Eco-friendliness Accessible Affordable
Habitat for flora and fauna Disabled friendly Self-sustainable
Best practices Educational
Landmark Recreational
Biomimicry innovation Green refuge
Inclusive
Community (couples, pedestrians,
slum residents)
.........
Table 2.2
Stakeholders and material issues
Stakeholders (multiplication factor based on rank)
Material Issues
MNPS (1.0)
Slum Residents (0.9)
Employees (0.8)
Non-Student Visitors (0.7)
Educational Institutions (0.6)

MPCB, CPCB, NEERI (0.5)
GoM (MMRDA), MCGM, MoEF,
BKC Corporate houses (0.4)
NGOs (0.3)
Total
Ranks
Connectivity 4 5 4 5 3 5 5 4 22.7 1
Services 5 1 5 5 5 3 3 3 20 2
Physical 5 1 4 5 5 5 2 2 19.5 3
Safety and
Security
Slum 3 5 3 4 4 5 1 4 19.2 4
Sanitation
Visitor 4 1 5 5 5 2 4 3 18.9 5
Experience
Air Pollution 3 2 3 5 5 5 3 4 18.6 6
Noise 3 2 3 5 5 5 3 4 18.6 6
Pollution
.........
Methodology 23
Educational 4 2 4 3 5 3 4 4 18.4 7
Offerings
Ecology 5 1 4 3 4 4 3 5 18.3 8
of MNP
Carbon 5 1 3 4 5 3 2 5 17.9 9
Footprint
of MNP
Water Quality 1 3 2 5 5 5 4 5 17.4 10
(Mithi)
Management 5 1 5 2 4 3 3 3 17.3 11
Community 4 4 2 4 3 3 1 4 16.9 12
Participation
SWM* in 2 5 1 4 4 5 1 5 16.9 12
Slums
Sewerage 2 5 1 4 4 5 1 5 16.9 12
in Slums
Green 5 1 2 4 4 3 3 4 16.6 13
Construction
Salaries 5 1 5 2 1 5 1 3 15.7 14
Water 4 1 3 3 4 3 3 3 15.4 15
Management
inside MNP
Source: ORF Team
*Solid Waste Management

.........
History of MNP
Common Emigrant Butterfly, Catopsilia pomona

The Common Emigrant or Lemon Emigrant is a medium sized pierid butterfly found in Asia and parts of
Australia. The species gets its name from its habit of migration.
.........
History of MNP 25
05
History of MNP
O riginally, Bombay was a cluster of seven islands, with the island of Mahim delineating
its northern border. The Mahim Estuary, in which the MNP lies, was originally inhabited
by the Kolis, or the fisher folk, who were the earliest known residents of Mumbai. This is where
the Mithi River emptied its waters that it carried from the forest to the north. This confluence
gave the area a rich biodiversity with its mangrove forests and unique ecosystem. Over the
centuries, these seven islands witnessed the rule of the Mauryan dynasty, the Mohammedians
of Gujarat and the Marathas, successively coming under the control of several regional dynastic
rulers. From the 14th century onwards, the invading armies of the Portuguese and the British
took control of the islands. In 1661, Charles II of England received possession of the islands
as part of the dowry from his bride, Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of
Portugal. In 1668, he leased the islands to the East India Company. The 18th century saw the
emergence of Bombay as a city with a strong international character. It became an important
trading town with maritime trade contacts with Africa, West Asia and Europe. This led to its
physical expansion, with the British eventually merging all the seven islands by reclamation. This
reclamation reshaped the Mahim Estuary8.
The reclamation overdrive continued after independence and eventually shaped the contours
of Mumbai’s contemporary geography.
.........
26 History of MNP Ideas and Action for a Better India
Map 3.2 Original seven islands and subsequent growth of Mumbai
Source: Final report of the fact finding committee on Mumbai floods, March
2006
.........
History of MNP 27
“When we heard about BKC, we got concerned as we used to visit the Mahim
Creek for bird watching with the late Dr. Salim Ali, who was a close family
friend. We prepared a three-page note demanding this area to be declared as a
bird sanctuary and went to see the then BMRDA commissioner and two other
people; Mr. Charles Correa and one other person. They welcomed the idea
and asked us to come up with a larger plan to have some kind of a permanent
education-cum-recreation facility at the spot, as otherwise, it would be used
up for some other infrastructure development. On the day we inaugurated the
park, there were hundred people over there… one of them was Prannoy Roy
who is now with NDTV and other journalists. People laughed saying, who will
come to this smelly creek and visit the mangroves and all? And there was no
road to it. We had to take a jeep to go there and you could not go without boots
because it was all muck. I will tell you about my experiences only till the time
I was there… As for the current status of the park, you can judge for yourself.”
— Shanta Chatterji, former Chairperson of WWF-I and a pioneer of MNP.
Map 3.3 Change in Mithi River Estuary between 1976 and 2005
Black outline shows Mahim Estuary's boundary in 1976
«
Source: Final report of the Fact Finding Committee on Mumbai

Floods, March 2006
.........
Map 3.4 Location of MNP The mudflats in the Mahim Estuary were chosen
as the site for the reclamation of BKC. The Bombay
Metropolitan Region Development Authority
(BMRDA) – now Mumbai Metropolitan Region
Development Authority (MMRDA) – reclaimed
220 hectares of land in this estuary, dramatically
altering its geography. The estuary became so
narrow that it appeared more an extension of the
Mithi River than the wide estuary it used to be.
MNP is located in the Mahim Estuary. The land on

«
which MNP stands was once a dumping ground

Satellite Imagery Source: Google Earth
GIS Credit: Gautam Kirtane for Mumbai. At the time, this land was on the edge
of the erstwhile Bombay Municipal Corporation’s
Map 3.5 Location of Riwa Fort
(BMC) city limit. Before the dumping of waste, the
waters of the Mahim Estuary would touch the walls
of the Riwa Fort, the remains of which today lie
hidden in an utterly dilapidated state, amid slums,
behind the Dharavi Bus Depot.
The waters of the Mahim Estuary would

touch the walls of the Riwa Fort, the
remains of which today lie hidden in
an utterly dilapidated state amid slums
behind the Dharavi Bus Depot.
«

.........
History of MNP 29
The Transformation
The transformation process of the municipal
garbage dump began in the late 1970s, when the
government invited public comments on its plan
for the reclamation of the marshland to create
BKC. Shanta Chatterji, erstwhile Chairperson of
the World Wildlife Fund India (WWF-I), Western
Region, recognised the ecological importance of
this region as a habitat for local and migratory birds.
She proposed the creation of a nature park, which
«
received strong support from like-minded citizens,

Rag pickers at the garbage dump over which MNP was
created. including Dr. Salim Ali, the ‘Birdman of India’. The
Source: Shanta Chatterji proposal was presented to the newly created
BMRDA. The BMRDA approved the project and
provided financial support. WWF-I contributed
knowledge and manpower to the project. [Please
see Annexure 1 for excerpts of an interview with
Shanta Chatterji.]
The 15-feet-high garbage dump was painstakingly

cleared. Two hundred and fifty garbage trucks
were used daily. Assistance of rag pickers was
sought from nearby Dharavi. Fresh soil was spread
over the entire area by volunteers and workers.
The soil for the park was prepared without using
«
MNP at present (2011). any artificial fertilisers or chemicals. The first tree, a
Shisham (Dalbargia sisu), was planted by Dr. Salim
.........
Ali on Ganesh Chaturthi in 1983. Thousands of

saplings were planted over the next few years. Five
more were planted by Dr. Salim Ali in 1987, namely
Banyan, Mango, Peepal, Umber and Palash. MNP
took 12 years to complete and cost Rs. 3 crore,
borne entirely by MMRDA, which continues to
remain the park’s sole funding agency to-date.
The day-to-day management of the park was

handed over to the Maharashtra Nature Park
Society (MNPS), which was established by
«
Dr. Salim Ali at MNP circa 1987. MMRDA in 1992 to serve as the governing
body of the park. The society’s primary goal is
Source: Shanta Chatterji
“to preserve, protect, develop and improve the
Maharashtra Nature Park or parks and its flora,
fauna, and natural resources as a public amenity for the benefit of the environment and the
education of the public”.9 The society’s governing board consists of prominent personalities
from the government and civil society. The park was inaugurated in 1992 for exclusive use by
schools and in 1994 it was thrown open to the public.
According to a WWF-I communiqué issued in 1994, MNP actually covers an expanse of 480
acres, though the land area is only 37 acres and the balance is marsh land. It also said that the
entire expanse was declared as a ‘protected area’ by the Ministry of Environment and Forests
under the Forest Conservation Act, in 1990.
According to a WWF communiqué issued in 1994, the MNP actually covers an
According
expanse to aacres,
of 480 WWF-Ithough
communiqué
the landissued
area isinonly
1994,
37 MNP
acresactually
and the covers
balanceanis
expanse of 480 acres, though the land area is only 37 acres and the balance
marsh land. It also said that the entire expanse was declared as a ‘protected area’ is
marsh land.
by the Ministry of Environment and Forests under the Forest Conservation Act, in 0.
.........
History of MNP 31
Map 3.6 Strategic Location Documents procured from the WWF-I archive state
that they intended to have in place training and
orientation programmes, especially for students,
teachers and decision-makers at senior and
middle levels of the government and industry. The
park was expected to be a destination for families
on weekends, where the public could enjoy the
natural surroundings.
According to the park’s Memorandum of

Association and Rules, 1992, the stated objectives
are to provide the citizens of Mumbai access to
«

a green and unpolluted area, to educate the
people, particularly children, in ecology and nature
conservation. The MNPS originally intended to
create similar nature parks in every district of Maharashtra. Although other nature parks never
emerged, MNP has become a destination for schoolchildren, nature lovers, and birdwatchers10.
Documents procured from the WWF-I archive state that they intended to have
in place training and orientation programmes especially for students, teachers
and decision makers at senior and middle levels in the government and industry.
The park was expected to be a destination for families on weekends, where the
public could enjoy the natural surroundings.
.........
MNP’s Milestones
1977 – WWF-I proposes creation of an environmental education and recreation centre
1983 – Dr. Salim Ali plants the first tree
1984 – Planting of over 12,000 trees and shrubs (125 species) indigenous to India
1986 – Chalking out of educational trails
«
Bhoomi Path – Depicts five elements of nature: sun, soil, water, air, space.
«
Srushti Path – Depicts food chain from grasses to birds.

« Jal Vihang Tarang Path – Marine trail for boating and bird watching in
the creek.
«
Upasana Path – For quiet contemplation.
«
Sanjeevani – For medicinal plants and plants to take home.
«
Urja Path – Renewable energy.
«
Kriya Path – Recycling.
The above-mentioned trails do not exist any longer.
1987 – Creation of seven different ecosystems – from desert to evergreen – by planting one
acre of each and supported by habitat huts.
1987 – Creation of the Sacred Grove with five ancient trees, continuing the ancient culture of
maintaining plant gene banks.
1988 – Creation of a nursery for the saline mangrove plant, native to the creek, and planting
denuded areas.
1989 – Creation of an environmental education centre, designed by a team from the United
States National Parks Service.
1990 – Creation of Nakshatra Van (Astral Garden) based on the ancient practice of connecting
your star sign, your plant and yourself.
.........
History of MNP 33
1992 – Establishment of the Maharashtra Nature Park Society. Opening of the park for school
children.
1993 – Introduction of environment certificate courses for students; continued with practical
assignments.
1994 – Opening of the park to the general public.
MNP today is considered a best practice in view of its transformation from a dumping ground
into a forest-like habitat.
8 Gazateer of India, Maharasthra State, History of Bombay, Modern Period 1987

9 MNPS Memorandum of Articles and Rules, 1992
10 On the globe, you can locate the precise position of the MNP between 19°03’ N, 72°51’ E and
19°05’ N, 72°51’ E
.........
Shanta Chatterji (right) and Dr. Salim Ali (centre) presenting the MNP proposal to Hashu Advani, Minister of
Urban Development (left), at a bird watching site in Mahim in February, 1979.
.........
MNP at Present
Coppersmith Barbet, Megalaima haemacephala

The Coppersmith Barbet known by other names like Crimson-breasted Barbet or Coppersmith was named as
the official bird of Mumbai in 2011. It has a very distinct call which is like the sound made when the coppersmith
strikes metal with a hammer.
.........
36 MNP at Present Ideas and Action for a Better India
06
MNP at Present
T he brick paths of MNP lead visitors to a forest-like setting that boasts of about 76 varieties
of butterflies11, more than 125 species of birds12, and as many as 14,000 plants of 300
varieties, including at least 100 kinds of woody trees and a wealth of herbs and shrubs. Apart
from these, MNP is a natural habitat for a wide range of insects, spiders, reptiles and amphibians.
Here, one feels the pulse of nature, despite the stench from the Mithi River, which runs along
the Park's northen border. [Please refer to Annexure 2 for a list of all fauna found in MNP.]
Care has been taken in recent years to plant

indigenous species. These support a wider range
of fauna, including rare migratory birds. Some of the
trees found in the park are: Neem (Azadirachata
indica), Kachnar or Camel Hoof Tree (Bauhinia
purpurea), Babul (Acacia nilotica), Khair (Acacia
catechu), Bael or Golden Apple Tree (Aegle
marmelos) and Devil’s Tree (Alstonia scholaris)13.
Some of these trees reach an impressive height of
40 feet.
«
Veritable forest of MNP.

.........
MNP at Present 37
Map 3.7 MNP's existing layout

«

.........
The park is rife with garbage dumping, trespassing and

open defecation.
Other than the forest ecology in MNP,

the neighbouring mangrove ecosystem
contributes significantly to the wealth of the
«
The nondescript signage outside the park

area’s biodiversity. November to February
fails to attract the attention of the passerby.
is the best time to visit the park when one
can see the largest number of migratory
birds, both from India and abroad14. Reptiles and amphibians are also spotted more frequently
around this time15. Butterflies, too, are generally most active during this time of the year16.
The park is open to the public from 8:30 am to 4 pm on all days of the week except public
holidays. People who want to visit the park before 8.30 am for purposes such as photography
.........
MNP at Present 39
or bird watching have to seek prior permission

from the park’s Deputy Director.
a. Park Features
The park has three gates. From the west to the
east, the first gate opens to the nursery; the second
gate is the main entrance to the park, and the third
gate leads to an unused part of the park.
The park can be divided into three distinct areas.

The eastern section has an education centre. The
«
The Education Centre was designed by a team from the education centre is shaped like the sun and was
US National Parks Service that visited the park in 1981. designed by a team from the US National Parks
Service that visited the park in 1981. The total
area of the building is 14,000 square feet and it
comprises of an amphitheatre, audiovisual room,
exhibition room, library, administration offices,
and toilets. It is built using green architecture
techniques – ceiling-level glass windows allow for
illumination and ventilation and the sloping lawns
on the outside walls and the surrounding abundant
green cover act like a natural air-conditioner for the
building (the sloping lawns do not exist today). At
the centre of the building is a mural by Delhi-based
artist Mr. Krishan Khanna. The mural depicts the
«
Web of Life mural at the education centre. web of life.

.........
Map 3.8 Unused 10 acres at MNP (Highlighted in

yellow)
«
The unused 10 acres of the park are misused by the
informal bottle recycling industry from the neighbouring
«
Satellite Imagery Source: Google Earth slums.

In the centre of the park, the forest area occupies 20 acres and comprises of a butterfly park, a
nature trail, a reservoir and a Nakshatra Van. This is the largest part of MNP.
The third area between the forest and the park’s western boundary is occupied by a nursery.
Currently only 27 acres of the park has been developed. The balance 10 acres of
the park remains unused and misused.
i. Amphitheatre
The park has an open-air amphitheatre that can accommodate approximately 200 persons.
It is aesthetically designed and blends in with its natural surroundings. Located outside the
education centre building and extending to the natural space of the park, it hosts educational
and non-educational events. The amphitheatre can be booked by outsiders with prior permission
for Rs. 1,000 per event.
.........
MNP at Present 41
The stepped seating area is covered with grass.

This makes the amphitheatre unusable during the
monsoon season. A grass-covered seating may
be uncomfortable for people with disabilities and
for senior citizens who may find it difficult to sit
without any back support for long durations.
The MNP management does not provide

microphones, speakers and stage lights. Event
organisers have to arrange for and set up their
«
The open-air amphitheatre can accommodate own equipment.

approximately 200 persons.
ii. Audiovisual (AV) Room

The AV room can accommodate about 200
persons and is used primarily for organising
lectures, presentations, movie screenings and
other events that need AV support. Seating is on
moveable plastic chairs. Private parties can book
the AV room with prior permission for Rs. 1,750
per event. The park provides AV equipment at
extra charges.
The AV room is aesthetically unappealing and gives

an outdated and dull impression. The plastic chairs
are uncomfortable. The room lacks ventilation and
«
can get very warm during summers at full capacity.

Audiovisual (AV) room at the education centre.
There is no air conditioning in this room. The AV
.........
equipment provided by the park is outdated.

The projection screen is old and dirty. Due to
procedural hurdles in securing approval from
MMRDA for refurbishing the AV centre, the MNP
staff continues to use such obsolete equipment for
their own events17.
iii. Exhibition Room

The exhibition room at MNP is one of the least
visited places in the park. The room does not have a
«
permanent collection and usually hosts temporary

Exhibition Hall displaying works of Sunjoy Monga.
exhibitions, mainly of nature photographs. When a
team from ORF Mumbai first visited the park in May
2011, the exhibition room displayed pictures by the
city-based conservationist and photographer Mr.
Sunjoy Monga. According to the MNP staff at the
exhibition room, the images were put up for display
sometime in 2010. The photographs were still on
display in May 2012.
iv. Administrative Office

The administrative office is located at the entrance
of the education centre building. It has four
large cubicles - one each for a registration desk,
«
accounts work, general administration and for the

Administrative office.
horticulture assistant.
.........
MNP at Present 43
v. Library
The Deputy Director and his assistant sit in separate
rooms that occupy a large portion of the library.
The library stocks 2,200 books on various subjects

related to the environment and nature conservation,
as well as books for children. All the books are
stacked in steel cupboards. Approximately 50
books are added each year. The library is used
predominantly by the staff for reference work. Hardly
«
any visitors use the library, as the books cannot be

Books stacked in steel cupboards in the library and
borrowed. There is no system of classifying the books
seating in the library (inset).
as with any standard library. There are neither desks
nor chairs. There is no appointed librarian and the
MNP support staff manages the library. There are no
computers in the library or the administrative offices.
The solitary sofa set in the library also serves as the
waiting area for those coming to meet the Deputy
Director. The sofa set is the only seating provided in
the entire library.
vi. Toilets
The MNP has just one toilet block throughout its 37
acres area, which is located in the education centre
building. There are separate toilets for men and
«
The toilets in the education centre building. women. Each toilet has four washbasins and four
cubicles out of which one is reserved for the staff.
.........
vii. Butterfly Park

The butterfly park is located around the passage
between the main entrance gate and the front of the
education centre. October to November is the best
period to observe butterflies and moths in the park.
Plants that attract butterflies and moths are planted
in this section. Different species of butterflies
and moths are found throughout the park (more
details in the Biodiversity Section). To create an
ecosystem to sustain butterfly and moth species,
MNP provides ideal conditions for all stages of the
«
Black Rajah Charaxes solon

insect’s life cycle (egg -> larva -> pupa -> adult
Source: Nelson Rodrigues -> egg). Trees such as Peepal, Kadamba, which
attract butterflies, are found throughout the park.
Edible plants such as Lemon, Curry Leaves and
Kaala Kuda that attract caterpillars are planted all
over the park to facilitate breeding of butterflies18.
The nature park is home to over 76 species

of butterflies, including the rare Tawny Rajah,
Bamboo Treebrown, Common Nawab and Blue
Oakleaf. Some of the common species that are
found abundantly in MNP are the Blue Tiger, Plain
Tiger and Striped Tiger. Butterflies are also found
around the reservoir and the nursery. Though
«
Common Cerulean DSF Jamides celeno present in large numbers across the park, they are
Source: Nelson Rodrigues not easily spotted in the forest area as they are
.........
MNP at Present 45
The Butterfly Life Cycle

Source: www.ottersandbutterflies.co.uk
at the canopy level. The diverse topography of the park allows for a variance in the butterfly
species19.
viii. Nature Trails

The nature trail along the red brick-paved Shanti Path is the most popular attraction of the park.
The path is approximately 4-feet-wide and 1.8-km-long. It takes about two hours to finish for
anybody strolling around at a leisurely pace. The nature trail acts as an excellent, up-close and
personal introduction to Mother Nature.
The Shanti Path begins at the main gate and traces the edge of the reservoir to the northern
periphery until it reaches the Mithi River. Here through the arching branches of the forest,
one experiences the juxtaposition of two jungles: first the lush mangrove forest in the Mithi
River Estuary, the ethereal presence of which is framed by the shimmering glass facades of
the concrete jungle of the BKC as they reflect over the river’s polluted water from the opposite
.........
bank. The trail runs parallel to the Mithi River till it

reaches the nursery on the west side from where it
returns to the starting point following a path along
the southern boundary of the park. Despite being
in one of the busiest parts of the city, surrounded
by traffic and slums, visitors rarely see or hear the
sights and sounds of the city while on the trail.
While the entire park is home to a multitude of

birds, the reservoir and the Mithi Estuary are
hotspots for birdwatchers. As the Shanti Path
«
Bricked nature trail called the Shanti Path. meanders through the palm trees and nursery, a
visitor may choose to digress to a path alongside
the main route. Surprisingly, the hustle and bustle of the traffic seems distant and the serenity
remains relatively untouched for visitors to explore. Spontaneous discoveries and observations
of the park’s rich diversity of flora and fauna make the nature trail a perfectly stimulating outdoor
classroom. The path also presents numerous vistas and opportunities for professional and
amateur shutterbugs to capture the experience. Over the years, MNP has gained popularity as
a bird watching retreat and hosts the annual HSBC Mumbai Bird Race20.
Unfortunately, the entire walkway is bereft of information signboards displaying genus and
species and short description of flora and fauna, as one would expect to find on a nature trail of
this kind. This makes visitors dependant on guides to derive maximum benefit and learning from
the trail. To avail the services of a guide, a formal request must be made to the park authorities
at least two days in advance. The inadequate seating makes the 1.8-km-long trail difficult for
those with health ailments, senior citizens or simply those who would like to sit and enjoy a
moment in the cosy lap of nature.
.........
MNP at Present 47
ix. Reservoir
All of Mumbai’s municipal water supply is potable. Any other use of this water, besides drinking
and cooking, leads to avoidable wastage. The nature park needs about 10 million litres of
water every year (27,397 litres per day)21, the bulk of which is used for irrigation and other
non-potable purposes. To reduce its dependence on municipal water supply, MNP sought to
construct a reservoir, which would be fed by rainwater.
Since the reservoir was going to be constructed over a dumping ground, the Board of
Governors was concerned with contamination of the water from leachate – liquid material that
drains from landfills or dumping grounds and contains significantly elevated concentrations of
undesirable, environmentally harmful substances derived from the garbage that it has passed
through. Subsequently, it was decided to use the
stored water exclusively for non-potable purposes
before it got approval.
The project was completed with the help of 4,000

NSS volunteers. Plumbing and canalling was done
to channel any excess water from the reservoir,
situated towards the east of the park, to various
other sections. After the reservoir’s construction,
the park has stopped using municipal water
entirely, except for 1,000 litres-a-day for primary
«
purposes. The park used to pay water bills up to Rs.

The reservoir provides water for all of the park’s
irrigation needs. 3.5 lakh per annum in 2007. Today, the park pays
less than Rs. 4,000 a year22. The park had already
begun collecting rainwater on its roof (of the main
.........
office building) and the courtyard. This water, too, is now diverted to the pond. The reservoir
was built without using cement, which allows for about 1.5 million litres of water to seep every
year through the large rocks that form its foundation. The reservoir loses about 2 to 2.5 million
litres of water per year to evaporation. Even then, the reservoir generally has at least 4.5 million
litres of water23 even during the summer months. The reservoir has proven to be beneficial in
controlling floods. Spread over an area of about 3,000 square metres with a storage capacity of
22.5 million liters, the reservoir is instrumental in saving millions of litres of fresh water vital for
the city. The reservoir has also proven to be an excellent backdrop for attracting birds and has
set an example for spreading awareness on water conservation through rainwater harvesting.
x. Nakshatra Van
The Nakshatra Van (Astrology Garden) is located near the education centre. This garden has 27
trees, representing the 27 constellations of Vedic astrology. According to the Vedas a Nakshatra,
or lunar mansion, is one of the 27 divisions of the sky, identified by the prominent stars within
them, that the moon passes through during its monthly cycle. Each Nakshatra is associated with
a zodiac sign, which is related to celestial bodies
and their movements in the sky. The Vedic system
of astrology believes that each constellation of the
zodiac is associated with a specific species of tree.
Hence, a person born under the Rashi or star of a
particular Nakshatra or constellation is believed to
achieve peace and prosperity if he or she nurtures
the trees associated with that constellation. The
garden was envisaged as a unique meeting point
of man, mythology, science and environment.
«
Nakshatra Van or astrology garden in MNP.

.........
MNP at Present 49
Much like the nature trail, the entire garden has

no information signboards explaining the concept
of the Nakshatra Van or identifying its trees and
their astrological significance. In fact, if one passes
along without noticing the faded text on a stone,
they might not even realise that they have entered
a symbolic ‘space walk’ on the park grounds.
xi. Nursery
The nursery is located on the west side of the park
and has over 200 species of plants and about
«
The garden is devoid of information signboards 2,00,000 saplings sectioned according to their
explaining the concept of the Nakshatra Van. species. It includes a medicinal plants section, a
fruits and vegetables section, a flowering plants
section and a vermi-compost pit. The nursery can
be accessed directly from the nursery gate, thus
bypassing the time-consuming entry process
required to access the rest of the park.
b. Biodiversity of MNP
Mumbai’s tropical climate and varied topography
from mangrove swamps to sandy shores gives
the region a unique biodiversity. MNP offers a
wide range of habitats from a wooded forest to an
estuary and a fresh water lake attracting numerous
species of insects, butterflies, birds, reptiles
«
The nursery has over 200 species of plants and about and amphibians.
2,00,000 plant saplings.
.........
i. Birds
Water birds such as the Common Redshank are
only found in the creek area, whereas water birds
such as the Indian Pond Heron can be found both
in the estuary and around the park’s reservoir.
Fruit-eating birds like the Coppersmith Barbet and
Greater Coucal are found in the wooded area of
the park. Thus, different sections of the park offer
different birding opportunities. Some of the water
«
birds that are spotted in the area are: Little Grebe,

White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis is
spotted throughout the park. Little Cormorant, Grey Heron, Black-crowned
Source: Adesh Shivkar Night Heron, Black-winged Stilt and Cattle Egret.
MNP is also a stopover for many migratory birds
with several species making their annual visit from
the Himalayas and beyond. Many species that are
uncommon to the park, but have been spotted on
several occasions include: Plum Headed Parakeet,
Yellow Footed Green Pigeon, Paradise Flycatcher,
Black Naped Monarch Flycatcher, Orange Minivet,
Eurasian Curlew and Scops Owl.
ii. Reptiles and Amphibians

The park provides a good habitat for different kinds
«
Little Green Bee-eaters Merops orientalis were once

of reptiles as well as a few species of amphibians.
widespread in Mumbai but habitat destruction has
reduced their presence to green spaces such as MNP. Some of the commonly spotted snakes in the park
.........
MNP at Present 51
Egrets are one of the most visible birds of the park. This beautiful Yellow-billed Egret Mesophoyx intermedia
was spotted on top of the education centre building, grooming itself.
Source: Dhaval Desai
.........
The Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata spotted occasionally in the Mithi Estuary just outside MNP.
Source: Adesh Sivkar

.........
MNP at Present 53
include the Rat Snake, Russell’s Viper, Checkered

Keelback and Striped Keelback. Two out of India’s
‘big four’ venomous snakes — Spectacled Cobra
and Russell’s Viper — have the ideal breeding
environment in the park. The reservoir has attracted
several species of amphibians in the park. There
is a sizable breeding population of amphibians in
the park, which is an indicator of how well these
creatures have adapted to the park.
[Detailed lists of birds, insects, butterflies, reptiles

«
Buff-striped Keelback Amphiesma stolatum (non- and amphibians of the MNP can be found in
venomous) spotted in the amphitheatre.
Source: Prithvi Hirani Annexure 3.]
iii. Insect Life

Green areas attract insect life. Insects play a vital
role in distribution of other wildlife. The erstwhile
avatar of MNP (garbage dump) was a hotspot for
several species of insects24. The transformation of
the landscape from a smelly garbage dump to a
scrubland and eventually a nature park or forest-
like environment resulted in spreading of fauna
from green areas in the vicinity such as Kalina
University Campus which is approximately (2
km, North) and Trombay Hill (About 6 km to the
East)25.
«
Oriental garden lizard Calotes versicolor spotted in the

nursery section.
Source: Radhika Suchday
.........
Shield bug Acanthosoma labiduroides spotted in the wooded area

Source: Prithvi Hirani
.........
MNP at Present 55
Atteva fabriciella perched on a leaf.

.........
11 Nelson Rodrigues’ book Butterflies of the MNP and personal interview given to ORF Mumbai’s
team of researchers in 2011
12 Adesh Shivkar, co-author of the book Birds of the MNP, interviewed by ORF’s team of
researchers in 2011
13 Back to Nature, Booklet on MNP by Sunjoy Monga
14 Adesh Shivkar, co-author of the book Birds of the MNP, interviewed by ORF’s team of
researchers in 2011
15 Vijay Awasare, an Irula Snake Catching Society-trained naturalist, who has been studying the
snakes of the park and is responsible for creating a booklet on the snakes and reptiles of MNP,
interviewed by ORF Mumbai’s team of researchers in 2011
16 Nelson Rodrigues’ book Butterflies of the MNP and personal interview given to ORF Mumbai
team of researchers in 2011
17 Analysis of the annual receipts through rental income of the AV hall and amphitheatre
highlighted in MNP’s budget for five years (2000-07 to 2010-11) show that on an average, both
the amphitheatre and AV hall are rented out only for about 63 days per annum. These precious
.........
MNP at Present 57
facilities remain unutilised for nearly 10 months every year.

18 According to Nelson Rodrigues, the author of Butterflies of the MNP, the high density of
butterflies in MNP can be attributed to the abundance of food and plenty of host and nectar plants
that influence butterfly numbers and variety. A female butterfly will lay her eggs on a particular
host plant. Its nectar source is a flowering plant that produces nectar as part of its reproductive
process. Each species of butterfly uses a specific plant and sometimes even a group of plants for
egg laying. For example, Mormons are attracted to Kari Patta or curry leaf plant. Abundance of
host plants for butterflies that frequent the region has ensured success in sustaining the park’s
butterflies. Without appropriate host plants, butterflies will simply sip nectar and fly away. Host
plants keep the butterflies in the park until the butterfly courtship is complete and their tiny eggs
have been laid. Butterflies are usually attracted to host and nectar plants, fruits, urine and excreta.
Thus, different varieties of butterflies are found in different areas of the park. Nectar plants such as
the Jamaican Spikes, Lantana, Plumbago Indica, Tridax Procumbent, also known as coat buttons,
attract many butterflies.
19 Nelson Rodrigues, Butterflies of the MNP, 2011
20 MNP hosts the popular annual HSBC Mumbai Bird Race in partnership with conservationist
and photographer Sunjoy Monga. The day-long event, involves birding enthusiasts fanning out to
bird habitats of Mumbai like the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, Sewri Creek, Uran, Vasai Fort, the
bird sanctuaries at Karnal and Tungareshwar, IIT Campus-Powai Lake and MNP itself, to conduct
a census of available species. The participants congregate at MNP in the evening, where the
winning team that has accounted for most varied bird sightings is felicitated.
21 A Massive Park, Fed Entirely by Rain Water: Hindustan Times, Sai Raje, 5th June 2010
22 Ibid
23 Ibid
24 Sunjoy Monga (2005). Maharashtra Nature Park, Back to Nature. Mumbai.
25 Ibid
.........
MNP Offerings
Glory Lily, Gloriosa rothschildiana

Various preparations of this plant are used in traditional medicines for a variety of complaints
in both Africa and India. It is cultivated in India as a cash crop. NABARD provides loans of
around 80-90 percent for its cost of cultivation.
.........
MNP Offerings 59
07
MNP Offerings
i. Environmental Education
M NP pursues its core objective of

environmental education through
courses and events conducted predominantly for
school children.
Courses, Lectures and Workshops:

Soon after it was inaugurated, MNP offered
a six-month certificate course named ‘Rajiv
Gandhi Environment Course’ or ‘RAGA’ which
«
Former Municipal Commissioner D. M. Sukthankar was designed by WWF-I for children in the age
awarding certificates to successful students.
Source: Shanta Chatterji group of 12 to 15 years. In 1994, 75 students
were selected for the course, of whom, 61 were
awarded the coveted certificate. The students
were divided into three batches — one for English medium, and two for Marathi. The course
curriculum included three sections: 1) Nature as it is, 2) Interference with Nature’s Balance and
3) Rejuvenation Processes. The courses relied on natural surroundings of the park. As a part of
a continuing follow-up process, the students who passed out were selected for training as field
guides in the park. The course faculty and field guides included well-known personalities such
.........
60 MNP Offerings Ideas and Action for a Better India
as the late Prof. P. V. Bole, former President of Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and
Head of Department of Botany, St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai; noted landscape designer and
environment educationist Ulhas Rane, and Dr. B F Chhapgar, former curator of the Taraporewala
Aquarium, Mumbai.
Shanta Chatterji, who was the inaugural course coordinator, said, “The objective behind the
course was to instill a love for nature and inculcate environment-friendly habits in children.” The
WWF-I had envisaged similar courses for the general public and decision-makers. This solitary
certificate course, which met with encouraging success, has been discontinued since 1994.
Today, the MNP conducts customised lectures and workshops addressing topics such as
environmental conservation, rainwater harvesting, water purification and medicinal plants.
Photography and bird watching courses are organised in the beginning of summer, while
in the monsoon, programmes related to seasonal flowers are organised. Butterfly trails are
mostly organised during winter. MNP's large collection of movies and documentary films on
environment and wildlife are well utilised for such courses.
None of the courses conducted today are professionally managed. There are no qualified
teachers or in-house experts at MNP to conduct the courses or workshops. All education
related work is managed almost exclusively by the Deputy Director of the park and occasionally
by external experts. While thousands of school children visit MNP each year with their teachers,
their feedback about these courses is not recorded, thus losing out on valuable opportunities
to improve its services.
ii. Events
MNP hosts a number of events on environmental issues of local, national and international
significance. It is used as a venue by some organisations to celebrate the International Earth
.........
MNP Offerings 61
Day (April 22), World Environment Day (June 5) and other occasions. Events such as the
53rd Mumbai Rose Show (28 and 29 January, 2012) organised by the Mumbai Rose Society
and India’s first National Bee Day (5 February 2012) organised by 'Under the Mango Tree'
were held at MNP. The amphitheatre and AV room are used to host movie and documentary
screenings, book releases/ readings, poetry recitals and award ceremonies. Workshops related
to photography, rainwater harvesting, vermiculture, terrace gardening and waste management
are also conducted. Several groups use the park for meditation camps. Some overnight camps
for children have also been organised. A popular event successfully hosted by the park for
several years now is the annual HSBC Mumbai Bird Race.
.........
62 MNP Offerings Ideas and Action for a Better India
Visitors
House Sparrow, Passer domesticus

India has seen a massive decline of sparrows in recent years. Certainly, there is no single reason for their
decline. Scientists and experts say that severe changes in the urban ecosystem in recent times have had
tremendous impact on their population.
.........
Visitors 63
08
Visitors
T he WWF-I had expected over 3,00,000 visitors to MNP each year. The number of annual
visitors to the park in 1994, when it was opened for general public, was 5,000. It slowly
increased to 15,000 in 1999. The year 2000, however, saw 59,000 visitors, almost a four–fold
increase over the previous year. But the average annual visitor count from 2000 to 2011 is
only about 43,000 with mandatory school activities accounting for 90 percent of visitors. That’s
one-seventh of the initial target and roughly works out to about 118 people per day, which is
shocking given that it is situated in the heart of a city with a population26 of 13 million. This
report has identified poor footfalls as the single largest failure of MNP.
The figures indicate that schools have realised the importance of MNP and through their own
network have spread awareness in a limited circle. The individual visitors to the park, however,
average less than 4,000 per year since the park opened to the public. There is negligible
awareness among the citizens of Mumbai about MNP. SGNP at the other end of the Mithi River
attracts 20,00,000 visitors each year.
A study 'The importance of the Maharashtra Nature Park to the citizens of Mumbai' conducted
in 2010 by PUKAR, an NGO, with a dataset of 200 people, revealed that 56 percent of MNP
visitors were students, 34 percent were teachers and the rest 10 percent belonged to diverse
fields. In 2010-11, out of a total of 45,000 visitors, 36,000 (80 percent) comprised students and
teachers and a mere 8,000 comprised of other individuals and groups27. The relative decline
.........
64 Visitors Ideas and Action for a Better India
in the number of students visiting MNP is also indicative of the management’s failure to attract
newer schools. Schools visiting MNP regularly are 'retained' by virtue of their regular visits.
The visitor graphs follow the academic calendar. The months between March and June have
fewer visitors due to the exams in schools and colleges. The months between October and
February, which include the Diwali and Christmas holidays that coincide with the bird and
butterfly season, witness higher number of visitors.
The PUKAR report concluded that the number of people that do visit the MNP through personal
will is considerably small. This can be attributed to a lack of awareness of MNP’s existence
rather than a lack of interest. The graphs below are representative of the visitor trends in MNP
over the years.
Figure 1.1
Yearly Visits to MNP (1994-2011)
Graphic Credit: Gautam Kirtane

.........
Visitors 65
Figure 1.2
Group and individual visitors to MNP (1994-2011)
Figure 1.3
Month-wise visitors to MNP

.........
Table 2.3
Month-wise visitors to MNP

Year
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
January
February
March
visited in Groups
Total persons who
Individual visitors
Grand total
2000-01 244 244 29 782 1764 1553 627 1393 1167 1662 2313 671 12449 2895 15344
2001-02 110 214 217 3525 7741 14624 11875 2330 6957 4417 2965 2479 57454 2005 59459
2002-03 1096 60 327 6307 8463 9310 3136 4833 7090 8353 3408 1479 53862 4428 58290
2003-04 463 411 735 4396 6405 9950 2915 3237 8300 3497 4699 699 45707 4054 49761
2004-05 473 312 474 10643 8542 8901 4175 1390 4539 1849 5661 1901 48860 3929 52789
2005-06 1068 474 1019 3207 3198 6359 3900 3538 4934 3105 3929 2488 37219 3323 40542
2006-07 1367 475 1447 3846 5550 7160 6647 3914 4851 3331 1676 0 40264 3215 43479
2007-08 783 406 988 2736 5721 4286 5270 2788 4722 2971 3373 1829 35873 2442 38315
2008-09 1621 1012 1793 4211 2791 5935 2289 2460 4017 4571 4011 1873 36584 3359 39943
2009-10 1533 1165 1380 3020 1835 2056 2050 5214 3723 4193 3483 1948 31600 4739 36339
2010-11 563 314 962 3051 4228 3920 6304 2267 4955 4670 3304 2098 36636 8380 45016
Source: MNP
.........
Visitors 67
Entry fee to MNP is Rs. 5 per individual, making it one of the cheapest leisure time options for the
citizens of Mumbai. Amusement parks like the Essel World and Water Kingdom, situated on the
Gorai Creek on the northern outskirts of the city, charge between Rs. 300 to Rs. 700 for a day’s
trip for children and adults respectively. These twin amusement parks attract approximately
18 lakh visitors each year28. There is no doubt that MNP caters to a very different purpose, but
a comparison of their respective footfalls indicates the scale of underutilisation of the MNP as
well as its potential to become one of the city’s most preferred leisure destinations, given its
accessible location.
26 Mumbai has a population of 12,479,608 million as per the provisional data of Census 2011
27 Visitors’ numbers have been rounded off for convenience.
28 Essel World website: http://esselworld.in/entry_rates.html, http://esselworld.in/about_us.html
.........
Visitor Experience
Kapok Tree, Ceiba pentandra

It is a tropical tree native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and northern South America. The Kapok
Tree does a great job at spreading its seeds, producing anywhere between 500 and 4,000 fruits at one time,
with each fruit containing 200 seeds. When these fruits burst open, silky fibers spread the many seeds all over
the forest.
.........
09
Visitor Experience
T his section describes some typical visitor experiences at MNP.
i. Finding and Approaching MNP

Finding MNP is difficult. There is only one signboard on the Sion-Bandra Link Road and one
poorly legible direction board that states ‘Maharashtra Nature Park’ on the way from Sion-Kurla
Link Road to MNP. There are no signs near Sion Circle, Western Express Highway, Bandra-Kurla
Complex, Mahim Causeway or Bandra showing
directions to MNP. Even the inconspicuous park
entrances are very easy to miss while driving past
the approach road.
For those approaching MNP on foot from the

west, the footpath to the park is blocked by a large
public toilet, which has remained non-functional
for the last seven years. There are toilet blocks
on either side of the park for slum residents, but
a majority of them defecate in the open. There is
«
also a stench emanating from heaps of overflowing

MNP is located along the busy Sion-Bandra Link
Road. garbage. Overall, it gives new visitors to MNP a
negative first impression.
.........
70 Visitor Experience Ideas and Action for a Better India
The Marathi and English name board, which is present only at the main gate, is too small to be
noticeable. In a multilingual city like Mumbai that is home to migrants from all over the country,
this language barrier affects a substantial percentage of people from learning about MNP even
if they do happen to notice the board.
ii. Entering MNP

Upon entering MNP, one encounters a time-consuming and unfriendly experience. The security
personnel at the main gate are often inattentive, uninterested and unhelpful. A visitor has to go
through the following steps just to enter the park:
1) Fill up an entry register with name, address, contact number, purpose of visit, time of
entry and sign it.
2) Visitors carrying a camera are required to fill up another form with details about the
purpose of visit and use of the camera.
3) After filling up these forms, an entry pass is issued which the visitor must carry to the
administrative office, 100 metres away, in the education centre, to pay the entry fee and
to get his/her pass signed.
The visitor may be asked to reproduce the pass on multiple occasions while in the park premises.
If the pass is lost, steps 1-3 have to be redone.
A small parking space, which can accommodate about 8-10 cars, is available near the main
entrance of the park. This space cannot be used by regular visitors. Only event organisers are
allowed to use this parking area. Parking here during monsoons can get challenging because
of the slushy ground. The area near the third gate, which has parking space, is currently being
used for composting for the nursery and also for sale of saplings. There is no other parking
space available in the vicinity or on the road, posing a problem for car owners. The MNPS owns
.........
an additional parking space for several vehicles on the opposite side of the main road. However,
for reasons unknown, this large area measuring over one acre, remains unutilised.
iii. Navigating through the park

While different sections of the main building, viz. the library, AV room and office block are clearly
indicated, the lack of proper signage and information boards throughout the rest of the park
premises makes it impossible for new visitors to locate the various sections of the park. Further,
untrained visitors cannot identify the different species of flora and fauna that are the highlight of
MNP. MNP does not provide a map to help visitors navigate through the park.
MNP does have a few folded brochures; one giving basic information like names of the birds
found in the park, another providing basic overall information about the park. It also has three
neatly designed pictorial booklets (sold for Rs. 20 each) – one each on the park’s butterflies,
reptiles and amphibians, and spiders – that can be procured from the administration office.
A guided tour has to be booked two days prior to the visit; spontaneous guided tours are
not possible.
.........
72 Visitor Experience Ideas and Action for a Better India
Neighbourhood
Crown flower, Calotropis gigantea

Commonly known as milkweed or swallow-wort and Ran kaapus in Marathi, Calotropis gigantea is a common
wasteland weed. It plays host to a variety of insects and butterflies. In India it is common in the compounds of
temples and is known as Madar.
.........
Neighbourhood 73
10
Neighbourhood
Map 3.9 Mangroves surrounding MNP

i. Mithi River and Mangroves
A flowing river is a big asset for any city, especially when

it is experienced from a public park. But for MNP, on
the banks of the Mithi River, this is more of a curse. From
Mangroves
densely populated areas upstream, the Mithi River gathers
raw sewage and solid waste from slums, untreated effluents
Mangroves from illegal industries, and rejects of a large-scale informal
«

recycling industry, and brings them to the estuary where
GIS Credit: Gautam Kirtane MNP is located. Here, the river water is black and there is a
Map 3.10 Mithi River persistent foul odour, especially when low tides expose the
putrefying matter on the shallow estuary bed. Naturally, this
has a negative impact on the overall experience of visitors.
The sensitive ecology of the estuary is affected by this pollution.

Fishermen in this region say the numbers and variety of fish
and crustaceans has declined over the years, along with the
biodiversity of the mangrove forest. Today the entire patch of
about 250 acres of mangroves, in a total of over 400 acres
of estuary (calculated on Google Earth), adjacent to MNP
«

.........
74 Neighbourhood Ideas and Action for a Better India
has predominantly only one species of mangrove

Avicennia marina, commonly known as the grey
mangrove or white mangrove.
The mangroves of Mithi River are critical to the

sustenance of the marine ecosystem, which gives
Mahim Estuary its rich biodiversity. The Mahim
Estuary is home to several varieties of fish, shrimp,
amphibians and migratory birds. Mangroves
are saline woodlands that are necessary for
the existence of an estuarine ecosystem.
«
MNP’s rich biodiversity depends on mangroves

Mangroves in Mahim Estuary near MNP.
for sustenance.
The pollutants in the water include industrial oils

and greases, and heavy metals from tanneries that
are dangerous for the fragile estuarine ecosystem
and its food chain. The decrease in the numbers
of estuarine prey has had a direct impact on bird
numbers. The dangerous level of pollution of the
Mithi River does not augur well for the future of the
MNP and the delicate estuarine ecosystem.
ii. Slums
The MNP covers 37 acres of the 378 acres of
Dharavi’s Sector 529. On its western end, the park
«
The highly polluted Mithi River flows along the extends outside Dharavi’s expanse. Adjoining it,
northern boundary of the park.
.........
Neighbourhood 75
along its western boundary is Rajiv Gandhi Nagar,

a slum settlement covering approximately one acre
(area calculated on Google Earth). The eastern
boundary of MNP is adjoined by the much larger
Prem Nagar slum of Dharavi's Sector 5, which
covers 9.5 acres.
Rajiv Gandhi Nagar is predominantly a residential

slum with a few grocers and vegetable vendors.
The population of the slum has increased over the
years, but the area occupied by it has remained
«
Garbage mounds on the western boundary (Rajiv more or less the same. As there is no municipal
Gandhi Nagar) of the park.
waste collection from the slum, the residents
dispose most of their garbage into the park. The
park’s western boundary wall has been damaged
at several places.
Prem Nagar, to the MNP’s east, has residential

dwellings and industries (mainly small bottle
washing and recycling plants). Ownership of a
barren area of land between MNP and Prem Nagar
is disputed and the matter is under litigation. As of
now, this ground is being used to operate bottle-
recycling units. The park’s eastern boundary wall,
«
The boundary wall along large stretches of the park’s too, has been razed to make more room for bottle
eastern periphery abutting the Prem Nagar slum washing operations. Between 2005 and 2010 nearly
settlements is mostly non-existent.
one acre of the park’s land has been encroached.
.........
The substantial area behind the amphitheatre up

Map 3.11 Slums surrounding MNP
to the Prem Nagar slum is predominantly used by
residents for open defecation and doubles up as a
playground for children.
Inadequate sanitation facilities in both slums

encourages trespassing. There is also a danger
of losing ground to further encroachment.
Trespassing also happens from the park’s northern
boundary adjoining the Mithi River, where the
chain-link fence across the entire length of the
«
Satellite Imagery Source: Google Earth park has been uprooted. Visitors run the risk of
being subjected to the sight of open defecation
that reduces MNP’s appeal.
Map 3.12 Prem Nagar slum encrochment 2005-
2010 (outlined in red)
The current situation shows the administration’s
2005 2010 inability in dealing with encroachments. The
security infrastructure of the park has proved to be
inadequate in stopping this menace. This has also
compromised visitor safety. Visits by ORF Mumbai's
team and its interactions with the security guards
reveal that rampant trespassing has made MNP
prone to thefts of plants and saplings from the
nursery, gardening tools, wood and fruits. This
clearly exposes the security loopholes at MNP. The
security of the park needs to be looked at from a
GIS Credit: Gautam Kirtane long-term perspective of educating and involving
.........
Neighbourhood 77
the slum residents in the day-to-day management of

MNP. It is important to recognise the neighbouring
slum residents as stakeholders of the park and
inculcate in them a sense of ownership and pride
towards MNP.
The mounds of garbage accumulated on both

sides of the park, especially the non-biodegradable
plastic on the east of the park, diminishes the visitor
experience. This also degrades soil quality and
impacts biodiversity. This issue can be resolved
«
Fencing on the park’s northern boundary adjoining the by ensuring daily removal of garbage from the
Mithi River has been uprooted.
area by the Municipal Corporation of Greater
Mumbai (MCGM). This actually presents an ideal
opportunity for the park authorities to educate slum
residents on solid waste management.
iii. Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC)

BKC is a planned commercial complex. It is the
first in a series of ‘growth centres’ created by the
MMRDA to arrest further concentration of offices
and commercial activities in South Mumbai. It is
expected to decongest southern Mumbai and
seed new areas of planned commercial activity in
«
the metropolitan region. It covers over 900 acres

View from MNP in the 1990s. Mumbai’s only ‘drive-
in’ cinema at the mouth of the present day BKC, which that include reclaimed marshlands and mangroves
then had only a handful of buildings. from the Mahim Estuary, the Mithi River and its
.........
tributary, the Vakola Nala.
BKC houses a number of commercial buildings,

including NABARD, IL&FS, Asian Heart Institute,
Dow Chemicals, ICICI Bank, Citibank, Bharat
Diamond Bourse and the Dhirubhai Ambani
International School. It also is home to the
Mumbai Cricket Association’s club house and
cricket ground.
The G Block of BKC is home to an International

«
The tall glass buildings of BKC as seen from MNP today. Finance and Business Centre (IFBC). The main
objective of the IFBC is to create new office
locations of international standards, ensuring
Map 3.13 Bandra Kurla Complex easy accessibility and high quality of amenities
for employees, a safe environment and a distinct
character and image.
29 http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/
report_mhada-finalises-bids-for-dharavi-
«
makeover_1720685
.........
Neighbourhood 79
Management
Cannon Ball Tree, Couroupita guianensis

It is a species of tree that is native to the southern Caribbean and northern parts of South America, yet has
been known in India for at least 3,000 years, where it is so revered that it is often found growing at temples.
Hindus revere it as a sacred tree because the petals of the flower resemble the hood of the Naga, a sacred snake,
protecting a Shiva Lingam, the stigma.
.........
80 Management Ideas and Action for a Better India
11
Management
T he Maharashtra Nature Park Society (MNPS) is a society formed under the Societies
Registration Act XXI of 1860. The MNPS’s main objectives are “to preserve, protect,
develop and improve nature park or parks and its flora, fauna and natural resources as a public
amenity for the benefit of the environment and the education of the public.”30 Other objectives
of the park, as laid out in the society’s Memorandum of Association and Rules, framed in 1992,
are as follows:
«
To promote charitable activities
«
To publish literature
«
To hold events
«
To promote and publish research
«
To advise public opinion and planning
«
To collect and maintain samples of flora and fauna for instruction
«
To cultivate nurseries
«
To gift or donate money or other assets to support other individuals or organisations
The Maharashtra Nature Park Society (MNPS) is a society formed under the
Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. The MNPS’s main objectives are “to
preserve, protect, develop and improve Nature Park or Parks and its flora, fauna
and natural resources as a public amenity for the benefit of the environment
and the education of the public".
.........
Management 81
All the objectives are grossly underachieved due to the lack of involvement and participation of
the society’s Board of Directors. Overall, the MNPS is responsible for managing the property,
finances, official relationships and day-to-day administration of the park. Currently, the society
is fully funded by the MMRDA.
The park is run by the society’s 13-member Board of Governors, which is in charge of “the
management, supervision and control”31 of the MNPS. This Board consists of seven government
officials (Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, four secretaries of state departments, the municipal
commissioner of Mumbai and metropolitan commissioner of Mumbai). The rest of the Board
consists of two representatives from the WWF-I and three members of the public. These, as
well as the Co-President of the Board, are nominated by MMRDA’s executive committee for
their expertise in a relevant field, such as environmental education, botany or landscaping.
The tenure of the nominated public members on the Board is three years, while a government
official who holds membership by virtue of his or her office remains a member until the end of
his or her term in office. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra is the MNPS’s chief patron.
Additionally, the Chief Accounts Officer, Financial Advisor, Chief Engineer and the Secretary to
the Executive Committee of MMRDA are permanent invitees on the Board, while the Deputy
Director of Education, Government of Maharashtra, is an invitee. (Please refer to Annexure 4 to
know more about the current management structure and staff profile of MNP.)
The annual budget of the park is drawn up with only the most specific expenditure in
mind. Even if spent entirely, it keeps the park infrastructure as is instead of creating new
and better visitor attractions. For everything, a proposal is sent to the MMRDA, who send
their engineers for a site inspection, following which a tender is floated for selection of the
lowest-bidding contractor.
.........
Despite being the principal founder of MNP, WWF-I has distanced itself from
MNPS for ten years
i. Issues with Management
a. Outdated and Uninvolved

The Memorandum of Association and Rules of the society created on 3 June 1992 clearly state
that the Board of Governors has the explicit power “to prepare, make, adapt, alter, cancel and
enforce… regulations and byelaws for the administration, organisation and carrying out of any
of the objects of the Society”. Despite such freedom enjoyed by the Board, there has not been
a single attempt to change anything in the park in the last 20 years.
The lack of involvement and interest of the Board of Governors is also reflected in the steady
deterioration of the composition of the Board itself. For example, despite being the principal
founder of the MNP, WWF-I has distanced itself from MNPS for the past ten years, so much
so, that the two seats on the Board of Governors reserved for WWF representatives have
been vacant for this entire duration.32 Even the position of the Board’s Co-President, occupied
previously by the well-known art conservationist and environmentalist Ms. Pheroza Godrej,
along with the other three board positions meant for civil society members, including that
occupied previously by environmentalist and wildlife photographer Mr. Sunjoy Monga, has
been lying vacant since March 2011.
.........
Management 83
Figure 1.4
MNPS' Board of Governors
, GoM
.........
It appears the stature of the government officials constituting the board exceeds the needs
and purpose of the MNPS. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra serves as the Chief Patron,
for instance, and Maharashtra’s Chief Secretary serves as MNPS’s president. Due to their
busy schedules and other pressing responsibilities, they have been unable to dedicate time to
the MNPS. The seven government representatives on the board, especially the Metropolitan
Commissioner, the Municipal Commissioner, and secretaries of various state departments
like Urban Development, Forests and Environment, and Education, face the same time
constraints. Their inability to become fully involved and invested in the park’s affairs is negatively
affecting MNP.
The Board of Governors is stipulated to meet ‘at least’ once a quarter33, but this rarely is the
case. Meetings are often sporadic and are conducted without an adequate quorum.34 The lack
of regularly scheduled board meetings has created discontinuity and inconsistency in the park’s
leadership and contributed to delayed decision-making. Due to incomplete quorum at many of
the board meetings, the validity of the decisions made can be legally challenged. “The park has
tremendous potential to be developed into an international jewel for not only tourists and local
visitors, but for anyone interested in nature. Unfortunately, we realised that it was a waste of our
time as the management processes are lethargic,” recalled Mr. Sunjoy Monga in an interview
with ORF Mumbai. “Even some of the most urgent repair works to the main building have been
left unattended.” [Please refer to Annexure 2 for the full interview with Mr. Sunjoy Monga.]
b. Unaccountable
Unlike the financial audit of the MMRDA, which is carried out periodically by the Accountant
General of Maharashtra under the aegis of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, there
is no institutional arrangement to monitor and audit the implementation of the specific tasks
delineated in the MNPS’s Memorandum and Rules. The financial audit, which is done currently,
is only an exercise to verify the balance sheet of income and expenditure against the grant
.........
Management 85
When the MNPS was established in 1992, the original intention was to establish
a nature park in every district of Maharashtra. Today, the Maharashtra Nature
Park at Mahim is the only nature park in all of Maharashtra, and even here,
despite the negligible footfalls and gross undertutilisation of its facilities, the
various Board members since the last 20-odd years have done nothing about it.
from MMRDA. As a result, the Board has never been held accountable for failing to pursue the
stated objectives and guidelines framed in the Memorandum, and MNP has stagnated. When
the MNPS was established in 1992, the original intention was to establish a nature park in every
district of Maharashtra. Today, the Maharashtra Nature Park at Mahim is the only nature park in
all of Maharashtra, and even here, despite the negligible footfalls and gross undertutilisation of
its facilities, the various Board members since the last 20-odd years have done nothing about it.
c. Untimely, disempowered and overburdened

One drawback of the current management set-up is the delay in decision-making. Every decision,
including funding and project proposals, must await approval by the Board. For example, after
the Deputy Director puts forth recommendations to fill staff vacancies or refurbishment of the
building to the Board, it takes anywhere from a year-and-a-half to two years for the Board
to approve the recommendation. Subsequently a contractor is appointed after which funds
are released.
In 2009, an attempt to redevelop MNP was initiated, with the MMRDA reportedly setting
aside a budget of Rs. 20 crore to fund the project35. A 10-member committee headed by
retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Ravindra Sule, former Principal Chief Conservator
of Forests for the state of Maharashtra; an official each of the MMRDA and MNP; scientist
and educationist Dr. C. S. Lattoo; Head of the Rachana Sansad’s Institute of Environmental
Architecture Roshni Udyavar; landscape designer Dr. C. K. Salunkhe and Sunjoy Monga was
formed. The committee was expected to submit its first master plan by mid-October 2009.
.........
In 2009, an attempt to redevelop MNP was initiated, with the MMRDA

reportedly setting aside a budget of Rs. 20 crore to fund the project. The
committee was expected to submit its first master plan by mid-October 2009.
However, as of today, no plan has emerged.
However, as of today, no plan has emerged. According to Sunjoy Monga, the committee had
two meetings, but eventually the redevelopment plan itself was scrapped.
The lack of qualified and sufficient manpower puts a large burden of responsibility of day-to-day
operations on the Deputy Director, a position currently held by Mr. Avinash Kubal. Mr. Kubal
appears to be highly self-motivated and takes keen interest in the upkeep and maintenance
of the park. He also is seen to encourage outreach in whatever limited manner that the park
facilities and finances can afford. He is MNP’s sole liaison with the Board of Governors. Only he
can authorise booking of any of the park’s facilities, including educational courses and nature
trails. There is no demonstrated coordination among the rest of the administrative team, and in
his absence, the working of MNP gets paralysed. The rest of the staff members appear incapable
of taking charge in the Deputy Director’s absence. Here are some of the tasks undertaken by
the current deputy director of MNP:
«
Liaison with MNPS’s board members, MMRDA and other government agencies as the
case may be
«
Giving permission for hiring of the amphitheatre, AV room and other facilities
«
Organising educational programmes, seminars, lectures, events and making
presentations
«
Maintaining and nurturing all institutional relationships and affiliations
«
Supervising the upkeep and maintenance of all the physical and natural infrastructure
of the park
.........
Management 87
«
Sorting out HR issues
«
Handling press queries
Despite such responsibilities, the Deputy Director

is not empowered to take any independent
decisions, irrespective of their urgency or
importance. For instance, if he wants to put up a
couple of benches, he has to get approval from
the Board and then approach the MMRDA to
secure release of funds to begin work. The MNP is
fortunate to have a self-motivated deputy director
in Avinash Kubal. However, this does not justify the
lack of an organised setup and management that
has deprived millions of Mumbaikars and tourists a
«
Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director, MNP chance to experience the beauty of MNP.
d. Understaffed
For a nature park of its size and importance, MNP is clearly understaffed both qualitatively
and quantitatively. The park has not had a Director for 10 years. Besides, a four-year vacancy
preceded the current Deputy Director’s tenure, and before that, even the position of the
Deputy Director was occupied for only two years. Thus, the park has functioned without any
operations-head for nearly nine out of the 20 years of its existence. Authorities currently report
only five administrative vacancies: Director, Senior Programme Officer, Programme Officer, and
Programme Assistants (see figure 1.5 - MNP’s organogram where vacancies are highlighted
in red colour).
.........
Through interactions with various staff members, from the horticulturist to security guards and
gardeners, the ORF Mumbai team observed that MNP is heavily understaffed. If one takes
into account the vital, yet never considered, positions like those of a librarian, trail guides,
education officers, dedicated public relations (PR) officer and outreach cell, then the vacancy
list grows considerably. MNP also does not have enough administrative manpower to oversee
a formal volunteer network, or document important events, or maintain corporate and academic
contacts and relationships.
The MNP has only 13 permanent staff members that include the Deputy Director, Secretary
to the MNPS, Horticulture Assistant, Administrative Officer, Accounts Assistant, Stenographer,
Typist, Clerk and six helpers. The park has 28 gardeners who are temporary, contractual
employees. Security of the park is outsourced to a security agency that is supposed to have
21 guards working in shifts. While the gardeners’ work is satisfactory and the park’s health
continues to be good, the security guards have not been effective in preventing encroachment
and open defecation from neighbouring slum residents.
The ORF Mumbai team observed that MNP is heavily understaffed. If one takes
into account the vital, yet never considered, positions like those of a librarian,
trail guides, education officers, dedicated public relations (PR) officer and
outreach cell, then the vacancy list grows considerably.
.........
Management 89
Figure 1.5
MNP’s current management structure
28
e. Underqualified
MNP lacks staff members having an environmental sciences background. Only the Horticulture
Assistant and the current Deputy Director have an Environmental Sciences or Life Sciences
background. The lack of programme coordinators and certifiably knowledgeable staff seriously
affect MNP’s ability to fulfill its primary objective of imparting environmental education.
.........
Table 2.4
MNP’s 5-year comparative accounts statement
(All figures in columns to the left in Rs. Lakh, actuals)
Receipts 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Grants from 55.36 107.11 119.6 200.52 91.14
MMRDA
Entry fee receipts 2.54 2.69 2.55 2.81 4.51
Horticulture 1.42 0.98 1.24 1.12 1.33

sale receipts
Miscellaneous 0.48 0.34 0.47 0.39 0.97

receipts through
consultancy etc.
Deposits (security 1.49 2.81 0.77 0.99 0.27

and EMD etc.)
Recoveries (loans 0.14 0.07 0.11 0.35 0.13

and advances to
employees etc.)
Interest (bank and 0.11 0.07 0.07 0.78 0.75

staff loans etc.)
Sponsorship 0 0 0 0 0
Total 61.54 114.07 124.81 206.96 99.10
contd...
.........
Management 91
Payments 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

capital expenditure
Civil works (construction of nursery 7.77 1.76 19.54 37.14 6.73
office-cum-classroom, construction of
shelter shed for visitors, construction
of compound wall, acoustic treatment
to AV hall, office refurbishing,
providing model public utility
system near the nursery area etc.)
Improvement to the AV hall 0 0.45 2.19 0 0
Development of butterfly park, 0 0 0 0 0
construction of green houses
Landscaping works (new 0 0 0 4.96 0
plantations), nursery improvement
Equipment, furniture and 0.38 0.56 0.33 3.13 0.55
fixtures, signage
Setting up an energy park 0.6 0 0 0 0
Improvement of water supply 0 0 0 0 0
and irrigation system
Refund of security deposit, EMD etc. 1.31 0.34 0.84 1.62 1.30
Loan and advances to the staff 0.17 0.06 0 0.13 0.60
Total 10.23 3.17 22.9 46.98 9.18
contd...
.........
Recurring 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

expenditure
Staff salaries and perks 11.95 12.64 51.23 27.92 30.76
Consultancy fee to the project 0 0 0 0 0
management consultant
Conveyance including 0.58 0.16 0.19 0.10 1.52
vehicle maintenance
Seminars/ workshops, staff 0.11 0.12 0.19 4.16 0.74
training, NSS camps and other
symbolic celebrations
Library books, study material 0.01 0.12 0.19 0.14 0.38
Documentation, photography, data 0.01 0.01 1.22 1.22 0.99
bank, publicity, advertisement etc.
Printing and stationery 0.39 0.61 0.54 1.01 0.52
Office communication 0.58 0.89 0.87 0.89 1.11
Electricity charges 0.64 1.25 1.77 2.63 2.98
Audit fees and legal charges etc. 0.1 0.29 0.14 0.19 0.19
Meeting and entertainment expenses 0.41 0.28 0.9 1.33 1.33
Park and nursery maintenance (water 12.59 27.5 20.01 32.84 25.83
supply, garden materials etc.)
Maintenance of other infrastructure 0.4 1.98 2.35 3.69 3.35
Insurance charges 0.27 0.04 0.04 0 0
Security charges 24.3 58.83 25.1 41.83 33.46
Contingency and miscellaneous 0.36 0.19 0.93 0.01 0
T. A. and other expenses 0.98 1.24 0.93 1.12 1.57
to interpreters
Total 53.68 106.15 106.60 119.08 104.73
Grand total 63.91 109.32 129.50 166.06 113.91
.........
Management 93
ii. Financial Management

The financial management of the park also indicates a lackadaisical approach. The funds of the
MNPS should consist of state and central ‘grant-in-aid’, or money allotted for specific projects,
donations and contributions from other sources, as well as other income and receipts.36 There
is, however, little effort to generate independent income and establish a formal structure to
develop and manage donations and contributions.37 Table 2.4 shows the break-up of the key
elements of the MNP budget for last five years (2006-07 to 2010-11).
An analysis of the budgets for the last five years highlight the following facts:
«
The annual grant disbursed by MMRDA to MNP is barely enough to take care of the
park’s capital and operating expenditure. In fact, out of the last five years, the grant fell
short of the park’s expenditure for three years (2006-07, 2008-09 and 2010-11). The
deficit seems to have been adjusted in succeeding years.
«
A direct difference in total receipts against total expenditure calculated for the last five
years indicates that the park has registered budgetary surplus for only two years – in
2007-08 and 2009-10 – when it had a surplus of Rs. 4.75 lakh and Rs. 40.9 lakh
respectively.
«
The above calculation for the years 2006-07, 2008-09 and 2010-11 shows that the park
suffered from budgetary deficits of Rs. 2.37 lakh, Rs. 4.69 lakh and Rs. 14.81
lakh respectively.
«
The office communication expenditure and expenditure incurred on stationery
and printing consistently exceeds the park’s total expenditure on internal and external
communications and publicity, reinforcing the management’s total disregard for this
key aspect.
«
The park earns an average of about Rs. 3 lakh per annum on account of entry fees.
Given the entry fee of Rs. 5, this indicates an average footfall of about 60,000 visitors per
annum. This does not tally with the actual visitor entries, which average around 43,000
.........
visitors per annum. However, since the budget does not have any specific head for
receipts through AV hall and amphitheatre rentals, it can be construed that this
difference may be due to excess receipts on account of rentals. If this is really the case,
then average annual earnings from AV hall and amphitheatre rentals come to just
around Rs. 85,000 per annum, which means that both these facilities are rented out for
only about 63 days each year.
«
The average of Rs. 1.21 lakh per annum from sale of nursery items comes to around Rs.
10,000 per month.
Highlights of the revised budget estimates for 2011-12:

«
The receipt of grant expected from MMRDA shows a substantial increase to Rs.
3 crore.
«
Park entry fee receipts pegged at Rs. 5 lakh i.e. approximately 50 percent more than the
average collection of previous years
«
Rs. 80 lakh set aside for civil works
«
Rs. 50 lakh for setting up the proposed energy park
«
Rs. 6 lakh for rainwater harvesting project phase two
«
Rs. 3 lakh for advertisements and publicity, which, for the first time, is more than the
expenses incurred by the park on office communication.
This park is nothing but a social obligation to stop the nuisance of public
encroachment. And that has been our greatest achievement.
– Milind Mhaiskar, former Additional Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA38
The above comment, reportedly made by a very senior former functionary of the MMRDA,
underlines the attitude of the management of the park towards its betterment. It also highlights
.........
Management 95
the discouraging disconnect between the reason and purpose behind the creation of the park
and the purpose for which the management has been running it since the last two decades.
30 MNPS Memorandum of Association and Rules, 1992

31 Ibid
32 Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director of MNP, 2011
34 Interview with Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director, MNP (16/06/2011)
35 Set for a makeover, Mahim Nature Park invites ideas from public, The Indian Express, 12th
August 2009 http://www.indianexpress.com/news/set-for-a-makeover-mahim-nature-park-
invites-ideas-from-public/500938/0
37 Interview with Avinash Kubal, Deputy Director, MNP (16/06/2011)
38 http://www.mahim.com/et/epage312.htm
.........
Recommendations
Indian Cormorant, Phalacrocorax fuscicollis

It is a gregarious species that can be easily distinguished from the similar sized Little Cormorant by its blue
eye, small head with a sloping forehead and a long narrow bill ending in a hooked tip. This cormorant fishes
gregariously in inland rivers or large wetlands of peninsular India and northern part of Sri Lanka. It also
occurs in estuaries and mangroves but not in the open coast.
.........
Recommendations 97
12
Recommendations
T his study makes a series of recommendations designed to help ensure the fulfillment of
MNP’s objectives. It also presents a vision for its transformation. It is hoped that ORF
Mumbai’s recommendations and vision will put MNP on the global map of nature parks. The
recommendations and vision have a synergy with those of the Mithi River Park Corridor as
described in ORF Mumbai’s study ‘Making the Sewer... A River Again ~ Why Mumbai
Must Reclaim Its Mithi’.
As part of our research, we identified key stakeholders and material issues that have a bearing
– directly or indirectly – on MNP’s transformation. We also studied how the makeover of MNP
will affect these stakeholders. The slum residents living on the western and eastern edges
of the park emerged as the second most important stakeholder group of MNP. Any future
makeover of the park will impact their lives directly and, therefore, the slum residents have to
be made an integral part of any move that is made in that direction.
Though it will be an ideal situation for the long-term sustenance of the park, rehabilitation of
the slum residents will be possible only when the Dharavi Redevelopment Plan is implemented.
The land currently occupied by the slums must be annexed back into MNP and developed in
line with the park's ethos. In the interim, the authorities will have to integrate the slum residents
within the overall objectives and ethos of the park.
.........
98 Recommendations Ideas and Action for a Better India
At present, students, as users of the park, are high on the list of key stakeholders. ORF
Mumbai believes that citizens and tourists visiting the park for non-academic purposes must
be considered equally important. Scores of people working at BKC also form an important
stakeholder group. The recommendations complement the intrinsic ethos and objective of the
park, which is: “To create an inclusive (including people with social and physical
disability) and environmentally sustainable habitat for recreation and community
participation.” All recommendations adhere to the principle of inclusiveness, giving specific
attention to the needs of the physically challenged and senior citizens who can enjoy the park
with utmost convenience and ease.
The vision plan outlines a pedestrian-and-cyclist only bridge over the Mithi River connecting
MNP to the BKC and seamlessly connecting this corridor to nearby railway stations of Bandra,
Chunnabhatti and Sion as well as the upcoming stations on the Mumbai Metro Line. It also
envisages a promenade on the northern boundary of MNP, which will be connected to a
Mangrove Nature Park to enable citizens to understand the vital significance of mangroves.
The park infrastructure in its current state will be inadequate to cater to the
number of visitors expected. To smoothly operate the multitude of proposed
programmes, the infrastructure in the park needs to be refurbished, redeveloped
and, in several cases, new additions made.
1. Park Infrastructure
The park infrastructure in its current state will be inadequate to cater to the number of visitors
expected. To smoothly operate the multitude of proposed programmes, the infrastructure in
the park needs to be refurbished, redeveloped and, in several cases, new additions need to be
made. Moreover, there is a need to consolidate certain activities of the park to create greater
impact and raise awareness.
.........
Recommendations 99
i. Convert Education Centre into Knowledge Centre

The existing round building that currently houses the education centre is in poor shape. It is,
however, the signature building of the MNP and a large part of its identity. In order to make
its offerings more impactful, it is necessary for MNPS to reconceptualise the building itself, as
well as its offerings and convert this facility into a Knowledge Centre. A Knowledge Centre will
allow the MNP staff to consolidate all its formal educational offerings under one umbrella, while
giving the park the flexibility to organise short-term courses for niche audiences. The new park
management will require more space and storage since the current building has limited space.
The space-management at MNP is poor and the building can contain more employees and
departments, if planned well. There is also plenty of space available behind the building to build
an additional structure, if required.
The entire complex with new and old buildings must be designed with the highest green-
building ratings as possible.
In the event the existing building is restored, its floor plan will have to be suitably modified to
manage the projected number of visitors and contain the offices of the proposed management.
All its facilities including the auditorium, library, offices, exhibition room, must be integrated into
the Knowledge Centre, with coordination between different departments. Toilets must be kept
clean and hygenic at all times. The entire complex must be made disabled-friendly.
Gate number two that leads to the building should be sealed off in favour of using gate number
three. This will add three quarters of an acre of land, currently used for the entrance, security
cabins and parking, to the core area. The butterfly park that is contained in this area will also
become part of the core area and become more naturalised compared to the existing setup
where potted plants are used to attract the butterflies.
.........
2. Increase and Reorient MNP’s Offerings

The MNP and annexed Mangrove Nature Park envisioned by ORF Mumbai will have a
multitude of offerings at par with international standards. New park timings will be one of the
most important of changes. The timings today from 8:30 am to 4 pm are inconvenient. Just
extending them, while keeping the rest of the park as-is, will result in increase in daily footfalls.
Early mornings and evenings are times when birds are seen in large numbers and are most
conducive to bird watching and photography. The nature trail and the mangrove walk must
therefore open at 6:00 am and close at 5:30 pm. This will also prevent the drastic fall in the
number of visitors during the summer season, as it is more comfortable to visit the park during
the early morning and late evening, thus avoiding the strong afternoon sun. All other facilities of
the proposed Knowledge Centre like the exhibition room, AV room, museum and library must
be kept open from 10 am to 7 pm. Office workers in BKC and adjacent areas, who work till 5
pm, would thus be able to experience MNP. The bridge, thoroughfare and promenade must
remain open 24 hours a day. The public use area, which would include shops, food courts and
various other amenities, should be open from 6 am to 9 pm.
Table 2.5
Proposed new timings
Zone Timing
Nursery/Biodiversity Reserve 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Core Forest Area 6:00 am to 5:30 pm
Mangrove Nature Park 6:00 am to 5:30 pm
Knowledge Centre 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Bridge, Thoroughfare and Parking 24 X 7
Promenade 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
Public Use Area 6:00 am to 9:00 pm
.........
Recommendations 101
i. Theme-based Nature Trails

Using the resources of the proposed Knowledge Centre, a variety of guided and unguided
tours and nature trails can be planned in the wooded area, the butterfly park, the Nakshatra
Van, reservoir, as well the mangroves. There should be a concerted effort to retrace and restart
all the original trails including the Bhoomi Path, Srushti Path, Jal Vihang Tarang Path, Urja Path,
Upasana Path, Sanjeevani Path and Kriya Path that have been lost because of lack of interest and
upkeep from the park’s management. These trails must be redesigned by seasoned professionals
so as to make the experience educational and enjoyable at the same time for all users, as
originally intented.
Specific animal habitats such as burrows, beehives, nests and fallen trees as well as variations in
habitat type such as woods, riverbed, intertidal zone, mudflats and mangrove ecosystems could
be highlighted along the trail. Guides and instructors must also be well trained.
ii. Knowledge and Education

Nature study is an evolving process. The park must keep abreast of the latest environmental
issues and create a flexible curriculum that adapts to local and regional needs.

a. Enhancing student experience and understanding
Environmental education is now a mandatory part of the curriculum in most schools in Mumbai.
MNP can become an ideal resource centre for schools and add value to student education,
by assisting students with eco-projects and meaningfully supplementing what is taught in
Environmental Science (EVS) textbooks.
The park must custom-design courses for different age groups and people with different levels
of knowledge and language preference. There must be separate specialised courses for people
with environmental background and generic courses for those wanting to know more about
environment and nature.
.........
Environmental education is now a mandatory part of the curriculum in most

schools in Mumbai. MNP can become an ideal resource centre for schools and
add value to student education, by assisting students with eco-projects and
meaningfully supplementing what is taught in EVS textbooks.
b. Leveraging the park’s knowledge potential

MNP should develop certificate courses with course content that supplements material
taught in the environmental studies curriculum offered in schools. This can happen only if
the park’s management develops a course outline that defines teaching goals and the key
learning outcomes. This will serve as a guide to make specific decisions about course materials
and content. But first, and as a most immediate measure, the park must revive its certificate
course, which was successfully implemented in its year of inauguration, with an updated,
contemporary curriculum.
Each year, the park should organise special certificate courses for the children living in the
neighbouring slums. These courses must be designed to first create a sense of curiousity and
interest for the environment and then encourage further study. The fee for the slum children
must be affordable. This will go a long way in integrating the youth of the slums with MNP.
Upon the successful completion of the certificate course, the children and adults can be
offered volunteer programmes, part-time jobs and could also be trained to work as guides. Job
prospects outside the MNP will also brighten with such a certification.
c. Engaging experts
High quality, up-to-date course content must be developed by experts. Additionally, it also
needs to be taught by competent educators who also have expertise in the subject matter.
Besides its own education officers, the MNP must facilitate scheduled involvement of visiting
faculty from the Mumbai University and its various affiliated colleges and organisations like
.........
Recommendations 103
the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, The Energy Resources Institute (TERI), Tata
Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), National Environmental Engineering Research
Institute (NEERI), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS),
Sanctuary Asia and Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre (SPGMEC), for
conducting structured courses in environmental sciences and related subjects. MNP can
look for affiliation with universities and other nature parks in the country for educational
exchange programmes.
d. Making the most of infrastructure

The management must disseminate a monthly calendar giving information about its planned
activities. It must follow a structured approach for this exercise. For example, the first
Saturday of every month can be earmarked for a talk or a panel discussion in the AV room,
second Saturday for socially and environmentally relevant programmes – plays, skits, book
readings, drawing/painting competitions for schoolchildren etc. at the amphitheatre; third
Saturday can be used for hosting training workshops on domestic gardening including
bonsai and kitchen gardening. The AV room and the amphitheatre can be let out for private
functions only on the fourth and fifth Saturdays. Educational trails along the Shanti Path must
be organised on all Sundays, which should ideally culminate with the screening of a film or
presentation in the AV room. In short, a structured knowledge programme under the aegis
of the proposed Knowledge Centre needs to be thought of for optimum utilisation of the
park’s facilities.
Based on the present infrastructure, ecology and activities at the park, certificate courses on
the following subjects could be offered at MNP:
«
Rain-water harvesting
«
Urban gardening and farming
« Vermiculture
.........
«
Horticulture
«
Bonsai
«
Biodiversity conservation
«
Global warming and combating global climate change
«
Mangrove ecosystems
«
Medicinal plants
«
Ornithology (study of birds)
«
Botany (study of flora)
«
Entomology (study of insects)
«
Herpetology (study of amphibians)
«
Lepidopterology (study of butterflies)
e. Research and creation of new knowledge

Through the proposed Knowledge Centre, MNP can create a process to encourage
researchers from academic institutions to undertake projects in areas that are relevant to
the park, such as on the park’s biodiversity and environmental management. Such research
cooperation will benefit the MNP, the researchers and their associated academic institutions.
Such a process can become popular with students pursuing graduate, post-graduate and
doctoral degrees in urban renewal, environmental science, zoology, botany or any other
life science.
f. Internship programme, summer jobs and volunteer

programmes
Internships, summer jobs and volunteer initiatives provide healthy, lasting affiliations and the
park management must create a comprehensive and focussed multidisciplinary plan so as to
mutually benefit both the park and the interns and volunteers. The MNP interns as well as
volunteers can help with the following:
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Recommendations 105
«
Reach out to various MNP stakeholders
«
Assist with communications
«
Maintain trails and habitats
«
Attend and assist with public programmes
«
Evaluate the park on the basis of visitor feedback
«
Produce publicity and educational material such as brochures and newsletters
«
Manage the park's website.
The internship programme may culminate in an academic project; where interns would be free to
choose the topic as per their competence, interest, background and educational qualifications.
The management and the Board must make recommendations for topics that will benefit the
park or assist upcoming or ongoing projects. These projects can be an excellent tool for interns
to use in subsequent job searches, as well as feedback to improve the park’s management.
The internships can be paid or unpaid depending on the position, and suitable interns can be
offered longer-term positions at the end of their internships. The interns could be trained to
become guides at the park.
g. From a library to a knowledge bank

The library in its current state does not provide the right environment for studies. The seating
arrangement is inappropriate and there is no librarian to assist visitors. The library is a critical
aid for the knowledge services offered at the park. It should be comprehensively revamped to
include proper shelves, computers and seating. Besides adding more books, the library must
also have newspapers, magazines and MNP publications. A computerised library catalogue
must be devised so that visitors can get an idea of the books available and easily locate them.
The park authorities must invest in new books and initiate microfilming and digitisation of books.
They must also invest in creating an online searchable repository.
.........
h. Auditorium
The auditorium must be refurbished and all the digital AV equipment used for programmes
must be upgraded. There should be digital recording and editing facilities associated with the
auditorium so that proceedings of conferences, workshops, seminars and talks are recorded,
digitised and integrated with the library facilities of the Knowledge Centre.
i. Exhibition room
The exhibition room, along with the library, is one of the most underutilised facilities of the park.
The exhibition room must have better lighting and provision for the proper display of art. Young
amateur photographers and artists must be encouraged to utilise this facility for the display of
their talent.
j. Amphitheatre
The amphitheatre already has a picturesque setting. It, however, needs to be made more
comfortable and disabled-friendly. Improved seating and a retractable canopy will make the
amphitheatre more versatile and usable in the monsoon season.
k. Museum of Mumbai and its natural history

As part of the proposed Knowledge Centre, an interactive museum of natural history would be
a value addition to MNP’s knowledge facilities and other attractions. The museum should tell
the story of MNP’s establishment and trace the park’s history and development to its present
status. This can ideally be done through an interactive, touch-screen multimedia application
that will narrate the transformation of the park from a dumping ground that it was, to what it
is today. The display screens can have interesting information like how ragpickers cleared the
15-feet high garbage dump and how 250 truckloads of garbage was removed daily.
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Recommendations 107
This facility must tell visitors of the history of Mumbai before the British – much of which was
enacted along the banks of the Mithi River and Mahim Estuary involving the Mahim, Bandra,
and Sion Forts along with the Kala Qilla or Riwa Fort that is adjacent to the MNP. This will
provide a valuable education to visitors, who seldom have the opportunity to study this aspect
of Mumbai.
In addition to showcasing and demonstrating MNP-specific flora and fauna and a historical
account of Mumbai, the museum should educate visitors on regional ecology. Visitors should
leave the museum with a thorough understanding of MNP’s origins and relevance in the context
of local and global environmental concerns.
The museum can be created in the exhibition hall or along the corridor and open air hall that is
located between the AV room and the exhibition hall. Given the prime objective of the park to
introduce itself to maximum number of people, the museum should be able to organise shows
in various schools and colleges and corporate houses, especially those headquartered at the
BKC, to publicise the park and its key attractions.
3. Visitors
i. Visitor Numbers
After its makeover, including the completion of the bridge and thoroughfares, the MNP and
Mangrove Nature Park are expected to have much greater footfalls than today. While it is
difficult to estimate these footfalls, here are some of the statistics that ORF Mumbai used to
arrive at a figure of about 50,000 footfalls per day, out of which about 4,000 would come for
the nature trails and mangrove walk. The remainder would constitute users of the bridge and
thoroughfare and visitors to the public use area.
.........
Table 2.6
Expected footfalls
Visitor Profile Estimated users Estimated users
of core area and of bridge and
mangrove nature thoroughfare and
park, nursery, public use area
knowledge centre and
biodiversity reserve
Total Percent Number Percent Number Total
Residents of surrounding 22,85,929 0.05 1143 1 22,859 24,002

municipal wards F-North,
G-North, H-East, L
and M-West
Expected number of 4,00,000 0.005 20 3 12,000 12,020
workers and visitors in
BKC (at capacity)
Total footfalls at adjacent 2,15,238 0.05 108 3 6,457 6,565
railway stations of Sion,
Chunabhatti and Bandra
Educational institutions NA - 1,000 1,000 2,000
Tourists NA - 1,500 4,000 5,500
Nature enthusiasts 200 50 250
Total 3,971 46,366 50,337
.........
Recommendations 109
ii. Visitor Experience

As detailed earlier, the overall visitor experience at MNP is greatly marred by the trouble
encountered in locating, approaching, entering and navigating through MNP. MNP’s
redevelopment must be devoted to ensure the best possible visitor experience and highest
level of satisfaction. Our recommendations to achieve this objective are described below.

All roads leading to the park must have prominent signage at regular intervals
in Marathi, Hindi and English that direct visitors to the MNP. The approach road
(Sion-Bandra Link Road) itself must be landscaped in an attractive manner.
a. Finding and Approaching MNP

All roads leading to the park must have prominent signage at regular intervals in Marathi, Hindi
and English that direct visitors to MNP. The approach road (Sion-Bandra Link Road) must be
landscaped in an attractive manner. Some ideas that should be explored and implemented
creatively are:
«
A vertical landscaped garden or living wall along the entire southern boundary of the
MNP as well as the boundary walls of properties across the street, including ONGC
High, the Proposed Sports Complex, Dharavi Bus Depot, Prime Minister’s Grant
Programme (PMGP) Colony and MMRDA’s vacant parking lot. These vertical
gardens must also adorn the proposed Knowledge Centre building inside the park.
Living walls will help in reducing the air temperature as plants provide insulation and
shade to the sides of buildings. They will also act as a natural sound barrier against the
outside street noise. The famous living wall of the Musée du Quai Branly in Paris is a
perfect example of utilising building walls to add greenery to the city.
.........
«
The roofs of all the bus stops on this road should be converted into a garden. Similar
practice is carried out by Roofmeadow; a Philadelphia-based green roof company that
has taken up an initiative to expand bus-stop roofs across the city as a part of the
Philadelphia Water Department’s Green Cities Clean Waters initiative39.
«
A landscaped road divider on the main road outside the park
«
Daily garbage collection from the slums so that garbage bins are removed from both
sides of the main road
«
The large defunct public toilet block on the footpath bordering the park should be
demolished immediately.
b. Entering MNP
The entry procedure to the park must be simplified. Instead of issuing a receipt to each visitor,
which must be preserved until exit, the MNP can issue wristbands made of paper or electronic
badges and tokens that can stay with the visitors till the end of their trail. The system of filling
up separate extensive forms for use of cameras must be eliminated. The entire procedure of
entry should not take more than 15-30 seconds per person and must be completed at a single
window. The number of ticket counters must be proportional to the footfalls and the staff should
be polite and welcoming.
c. Navigating through the park

Following redevelopment, the forest area and the Mangrove Nature Park will be divided
into different core and non-core zones for ease of management and security reasons40. The
eco-sensitive core areas in the park will be closed to users of the bridge, promenade and
thoroughfares. Similarly, the public use area on the east side will also be accessible for visitors
only during its operating hours. Zoning will help visitors plan their visits and navigate easily
through the park. At the same time it will help in crowd management and overall smooth
functioning of all aspects of the park. The zoning and demarcation will be accomplished by a
combination of walls, fences and simple signage throughout the park.
.........
Recommendations 111
These zones will have to be displayed on park maps, installed at regular intervals throughout
the park. They will also be part of maps that visitors can purchase upon entry. All areas of the
park should be declared as no-plastic bag and no-pet bottle zone. Likewise, no food items
should be allowed inside any of the zones, but for the cafeteria inside the Biodiversity Reserve
and the public use area.
iii. Visitor engagement

For MNP and Mangrove Nature Park to evolve with the times, there must be a constant
engagement with all its key stakeholders, especially its users. Frequent users must have the
option of getting a monthly, quarterly or annual pass. Life membership can be presented to
exceptional citizens of Mumbai who have significant achievements in environment and ecology.
A well-executed membership programme has the potential of opening up new revenue streams
for the park.
4. Seating, dustbins and drinking water fountains

The entire park, excluding the mangroves, must be provided with dustbins and adequate and
comfortable seating without compromising the health of the ecosystem in any way. Material
extracted from old and fallen trees from the park can be used for creating seating, especially
within the core area of the park. Facilities for drinking water must also be provided at short
intervals along the nature trails and in areas that are expected to have heavy footfalls.
5. Parking
With the tremendous increase in visitor numbers there is going to be an urgent need to provide
proportionate parking space for vehicles. An open area measuring over one acre exists across
the road from the MNP. This area belongs to the MMRDA and is a part of the MNP complex. ORF
Mumbai proposes a multi-level car park of five floors that would provide space for around 600
vehicles, including two-wheelers. The suggested car park would accommodate approximately
100 cars at each level. The total capacity would be 10 buses, 100-200 two-wheelers and 300-
.........
400 cars. In order to properly manage traffic there must be a signal on the road outside the
parking lot. The parking lot would be connected to the park’s proposed public use area through
an underground subway.
All entry and exit points inside the car park and the MNP will have elevators and escalators to
ensure that even physically challenged and senior citizens can come to enjoy the park without
any difficulty or reservations. This multi-level parking would encourage users to park and walk
across to the BKC, over the proposed MNP-BKC bridge. This would result in the removal of
several vehicles from the streets of BKC thus easing traffic flow in that area.
6. Safety and Security

At present, the safety and security within MNP have been found wanting on several counts.
The park’s boundary walls and chain-link fencing have been broken on all sides. All necessary
steps must be taken to ensure the safety and security of the visitors and staff of the park and
the users of the bridge, promenade and thoroughfare.
Well-trained security personnel in adequate numbers must be deployed. Internal division of areas
is very important to ensure that users of the thoroughfare do not stray into the mangrove walk
and the core area or into the Knowledge Centre of the MNP. ORF Mumbai also recommends
the construction of living walls that are partially or completely covered with vegetation that
grows out of a layer or soil or an inorganic growth medium. This will insulate the MNP from
surrounding city noises, while maintaining the green theme and making it appear inviting for
people passing by. There must be a doctor on call at all times and an ambulance permanently
stationed on the premises. Due to the presence of venomous snakes in MNP, anti-venom must
be available on the premises at all times.
.........
Recommendations 113
7. Management
i. MNPS Board of Governors

The MNPS is the apex decision-making authority of the MNP. Instead of an ineffective and
uninterested top-heavy Board packed with government nominees, MNPS must have a board
of Governors comprised of only relevant people and professionals. The board itself needs to
reinvent and evolve to remain relevant. This process of reinvention and evolution must re-
examine the society’s vision, mission and core values from time to time.
The MNPS is the apex decision-making authority of the MNP. Instead of

an ineffective and uninterested top-heavy Board packed with government
nominees, MNPS must have a Board of Governors comprised of only relevant
people and professionals.
The board should have only two permanent members each representing the state’s forest
department and MMRDA. All other government positions must be scrapped. The board
must be reorganised to include the MNP Director, who should be a person with a strong
academic record and reputation as an environmentalist and conservationist. The remaining
board members, with a two- to three-year term, must include the BMC Education Officer,
and two principals each of local schools and colleges, besides one local community leader
who would represent the views of the neighbouring residents, including slum residents. A
representative each of the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI),
the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), one senior member each of the WWF-I, BNHS
and Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre (SPGMEC) should be made the board’s
permanent members. An organisation chart of the proposed Board of Governors can be found
on the following page:
.........
Figure 1.6
Maharashtra Nature Park Society: Recommended Structure of Board of Governors
school school
a. Additional revenue sources

The board should be empowered to take independent decisions to plan future development of
the park by raising additional revenue sources, seeking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
support and other donations in addition to the funds received from the MMRDA. Importantly,
the board should have the total freedom to utilise these funds in a transparent manner. This will
be possible only if adequate functional autonomy is given to the board.
.........
Recommendations 115
b. Selection criteria for board members

Total functional autonomy can be effective only when the MNPS board members are subject
to a regular review mechanism to assess their real contribution and value addition to MNP.
Members should be strictly appointed on their credentials, experience, involvement, and
enthusiasm, rather than following the 'prestigious designations' criteria. Environmentally spirited
professionals and enthusiasts as members will automatically make the Board of Governors
active and participatory.
c. Long-term Vision, ‘Stakeholder-First’ approach

Such an autonomous, empowered board will be able to focus on fulfilling its prime responsibility
of ensuring the MNP’s prosperity by directing the park’s affairs, while meeting its stakeholders’
interests at all times. It should determine and review the park’s long-term vision and mission, its
core values, goals to be achieved and broad policies of the park based on expert advice. While
it should play a role in setting the MNP’s strategies and ensuring that the park’s organisational
structure has adequate capacity to implement these plans, the board should delegate authority
to the management and be accountable to its stakeholders. Proposals to the board must be
acted upon within a stipulated time frame. In addition, minutes of the board meetings should
be circulated to major stakeholders and uploaded on the website. Such an empowered board
must then set a long-term agenda to ensure increased local and regional integration of green
spaces, which is a burning necessity for a city like Mumbai.
ii. MNP Management

Like the MNPS, the day-to-day management of MNP itself will need a complete overhaul.
The new management must be fully equipped to manage the large numbers of visitors, while
providing the highest quality of visitor experience without compromising the sensitive ecology
of the park and annexed mangroves. The revamped MNP will be a busy organisation. There will
be several new responsibilities that will fall on the management within the park, which would
.........
have annexed to it over 400 acres of mangroves and mudflats in the Mahim Estuary. MNP’s
management and staffing structure should, therefore, be expanded to include more people
with formal education and training in environmental studies and proven organisational and
managerial abilities.
For this, ORF Mumbai has studied the BNHS’s Conservation Education Centre's (CEC) staff
composition. The CEC is part of the BNHS Nature Reserve, which is spread over an expanse
of 33 acres harbouring five undulating nature trails sandwiched between the dense forests
of SGNP and Film City at Goregaon. The CEC’s manager holds a degree in Zoology with
specialisation in Entomology and a certificate in Environmental Conservation Education. She
has over 18 years of experience of which 15 years were spent in entomological research.
The Senior Education Officer also has an M.Sc. in Zoology, and the three Education Officers
each possesses an M.Sc., either in Zoology or in Environmental Sciences.41 The management
should also undertake comprehensive training programmes to establish baseline knowledge
of the park, its amenities, and its biodiversity among all staff members working in the park,
irrespective of their work profile. For example, at CEC, a security guard guided visiting ORF
Mumbai's researchers around the park and demonstrated extensive knowledge of plants and
other aspects of the park, highlighting the value of comprehensive training programmes for
all employees.
MNP’s management, which is in-charge of its day-to-day functioning, should be empowered

to take independent decisions to tackle immediate and urgent contingencies. ORF Mumbai
has proposed a totally restructured management of MNP that will have special provisions to
preserve and promote all the multidisciplinary offerings of the park in a cohesive manner. It is
proposed that the new park management will have four verticals or departments—Programmes,
Administration, Communication & Outreach and Accounts. Based on the areas of work and
responsibilities assigned to these departments or verticals, adequate, experienced and
.........
Recommendations 117
competent staff must be hired. Other specialist staff would include a librarian, and a curator for
the museum.
a. Programmes
A Programme Manager will head the programmes vertical. He will have a team of programme
assistants to help him. This team will manage all aspects related to the visitor activities in the
MNP and Mangrove Nature Park. These include organising and conducting nature trails,
workshops, certificate courses, guest lectures and all other events.
b. Administration
An Administrative Manager will head this vertical. This department will be in charge of the all
administration related aspects of the park management, including employee management and
human resource development, management of public-use area, researchers, interns, volunteers
and security.
c. Accounts
An Accounts Manager will head this department, which will keep a record of all financial data
including revenue collection from ticket sales at MNP, Mangrove Nature Park, donations from
donor agencies, corporate houses, institutions, trusts and individuals, collection from the nursery
and coffee shop and expenditures on salaries, repairs and maintenance, new purchases and
organise them to be presented in the annual financial statement and give input for drafting of
new budgets.
d. Communication and Outreach

During and immediately after MNP’s makeover, the communications vertical will be the most
important department and will most directly be responsible for putting MNP on the global map
and increasing footfalls to meet the optimum number of 50,000 visitors per day. There will be
several responsibilities on the Communications Manager, who will head the department.
.........
Figure 1.7
Proposed Management Structure of MNP
Director
Deputy Director
Manager Programmes Manager Administration Manager Accounts Manager Communications

& Outreach
Education HR Officer Finance Visitors’ Helpdesk
Public Area Accounts Partnerships and

Event Officer Affiliations Officer
Management
Security Officer Revenue Media

Officer Relations Officer
Physical Expenditure
Infrastructure Officer
Natural Resources Budget and

Management and Planning Officer
Landscaping Officer
Membership &
Volunteer Management Cash Officer
& Training Officer
Librarian
Security
.........
Recommendations 119
The government could also consider outsourcing the direct management by transferring its overall
management rights from the MMRDA to a professional, dedicated and reputed environmental
institution, such as the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), Sanctuary India, SPGMEC, or
the WWF-I. For example, the Mai Po nature reserve, which is within the city limits of Hong Kong
and very similar to the MNP in most respects, is completely managed by the WWF, who have
a dedicated team of 20 officers permanently based at the park. A Public-Private Partnership
(PPP) model could be the way forward to achieve this. This will help the MNP to benefit from
the organisation’s experience in successful environmental management and education, while
doing away with intrinsic inefficiencies that are a part and parcel of government-bureaucratic
management set-ups. Such organisations are capable of setting up efficient and streamlined
management systems that are free from the lack of vision and complacency that currently
plagues the MNP.
8. Communications
It is vital for the MNP to expand its visitor network. The resources and experience that the park
offers must be made available to a wider range and proportion of the population. For this, it
must adopt a two-pronged internal and external communications strategy.
a. Branding
Branding is critical to the success of the MNP. A good branding exercise will lead to more
exposure and mileage for the MNP and consequently more footfalls and popularity. Three key
elements identified for this branding exercise are the logo, mascot and theme. Once finalised,
these elements would feature on all publications, stationary, merchandise, signages, websites
and digital media products that come out of MNP. In the case of MNP, all communications and
branding exercises must take into account the preferences of the predominant stakeholders.
All output must be simultaneously visible in Marathi, Hindi and English.
.........
b. Logo
The WWF-I had created a logo for the park. The
logo is a beautiful representation of the entire MNP
ecosystem — trees, birds, fish and water with man
at the centre of it. This aesthetically and intelligently
designed logo is nowhere to be seen in the park.
Instead of creating a new logo, ORF Mumbai
strongly recommends the use of this logo for all of
MNP's communication activities.
c. Mascot
«
The logo for MNP designed by the WWF-I depicting A mascot for MNP would be useful, especially
the ecosystem of the park — earth, water, trees, birds
towards brand building. The mascot could be
with humans at the centre of it.
a powerful communication tool, particularly for
younger stakeholders. The mascot in the case
of MNP could be a bird, animal, insect found in the MNP and
surrounding mangroves. The mascot would be given a name and be
visible on all MNP merchandise. There could be different mascots
for MNP and Mangrove Nature Park.
Some examples of popular mascots are Sea World’s Shamu the

Killer Whale and Asian Paint’s ‘Gattu’, the dishevelled boy with a
dripping paintbrush posing beside a paint can.
d. Signage
The development of all signs, including information boards, direction
«
SeaWorld’s Shammu the killer whale. boards, maps, warnings, cautions, that are on the park premises to
.........
Recommendations 121
guide visitors as well as staff must be entrusted to specialists. It would be ideal if the MMRDA
permitted the signage on public road outside the MNP to be in sync with the signage inside
the park.
e. Publications and Merchandise

There is a potentially large base for readership of publications coming out of MNP. These
include periodic magazines that detail upcoming events in the MNP calendar, regular columns
from noted environmentalists on relevant issues, announcements related to MNP and Mangrove
Nature Park and photographs of nature around Mumbai. The park has already published
booklets on the spiders and butterflies of MNP; a booklet on reptiles and amphibians found at
MNP is reportedly in the pipeline. Booklets on MNP’s trees, insects, birds, and flowers must
also be produced.
Merchandise in the form of souvenirs and memorabilia for MNP will allow the visitors to take
back with them the memories of a time spent in the lap of nature. T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs,
stick-on magnets, badges, recycled paper writing pads, publications, calendars, and greeting
cards with pictures of MNP, coffee table books on MNP can be sold at the park and even at
venues where the park organises its exhibitions.
f. Brochures
Brochures made available at the entrance would guide visitors in the park premises. They can
encompass wider topics, include more photos and be made available in English, Hindi and
Marathi. These brochures should not limit themselves to just mentioning the park infrastructure,
but crisply explain its biodiversity and provide information about the park’s calendar of educational
events and courses offered. Special brochures for hotel lobbies must also be similarly designed.
.........
g. Outreach and Media Relations

The MNP should set up a dedicated and adequately staffed outreach and media relations
cell as a part of its management set-up, which should be headed by an officer having
experience in marketing/ Public Relations (PR)/ advertising industry. This person, along with
a team of assistants, must develop and popularise ‘Brand MNP’ to stakeholders in media and
corporate houses.
Besides popularising the various park attractions through news reports and interviews, this
cell must actively engage with the editors of newspapers and magazines for seeking space
to publish regular scheduled write-ups and columns authored by the park’s management on
various environmental issues.
This cell must also embark on an outreach campaign to directly communicate with its key
target group, including school and college students and teachers, academicians, naturalists
and nature lovers. Importantly, this outreach programme must also develop a plan to actively
engage with the corporate sector and work towards building strong affiliations with them
leading to fundraising – through CSR opportunities – for both short-term and long-term park
enhancement measures. It must also seek ideas to forge working partnerships with environment-
related TV channels like National Geographic Channel and Discovery Channel. It must ensure
that MNP is documented on the websites of Maharashtra Tourism and Lonely Planet, just like
the city’s other two international attractions – SGNP and the Elephanta Caves.
Actively pursuing the MNP’s publicity agenda using these multiple means is bound to result in
an increase in footfalls. The PR and outreach cell must rope in interns from not just environmental
sciences and related subjects, but even students of mass communications and journalism for
this exercise. The management should invest in procuring up-to-date infrastructure. The MNP
could also create short films.
.........
Recommendations 123
h. Leveraging Corporates
Many of India’s large corporate houses and multinational corporations focus on environment
as the principal theme of their CSR initiatives. Given MNP’s proximity to BKC, one of
Mumbai’s largest and fast expanding business districts, the park must build associations
and long-term relationships with the corporates in the area. The range of avenues that
MNP can offer to businesses for extending their CSR initiatives is immense and must
be tapped.
Given MNP’s proximity to BKC, one of Mumbai’s largest and fast expanding
business districts, the park must build associations and long-term relationships
with corporates in the area. The range of avenues that MNP can offer to business
for extending their CSR initiatives is immense and must be tapped.
A simple way to begin this process is by inviting the corporate houses in BKC to MNP to
organise their corporate training programmes and other offsite functions and events. Most big
corporates are engaging in sustainability reporting training in an attempt to get an edge in the
market and increase efficiency and transparency. Nowadays, stakeholders and investors are
starting to understand the need for corporate sustainability. MNP can host such sustainability
training programmes for corporates in BKC and other parts of Mumbai. Some of the large
Indian corporations and MNCs that are located in BKC include Wockhardt, Lupin, Mahanagar
Gas, Symantec Corporation, ING Vysya, National Stock Exchange, Bharat Diamond Bourse,
NABARD, SEBI, IL&FS, ICICI Bank, UTI, Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank and SIDBI.
i. MNP Online
More than 10,00,00,000 people in India are Internet users as of 2010.42 Internet users are set
to rise exponentially in the future. Thus, in this digital age, any effective and result-oriented
communications drive must properly use various available e-platforms for dissemination.
.........
« Website
MNP should urgently rope in a credible agency to create an aesthetically designed website
keeping in mind the purpose and objectives of the park. [Please refer to Annexure 5].
«
Representation on other websites
The MNP should have a Wikipedia page, wherein one can find basic information about the park,
its history, location, attractions and offerings and pictures. It must be also prominently featured
on the Maharashtra Tourism website as a key attraction in Mumbai city.
«
Social Media
Tools such as a Facebook, Twitter, Orkut, Flickr, Picasa and YouTube must be used by MNP to
attract the younger audience and create an online MNP community. Such interactive platforms
provide opportunities for members to share their experiences as well as photographs with one
another. Social media tools must be used to support outreach initiatives too.
9. Neighbourhood

i. Mithi River
The Mithi River must be cleaned up on a war footing. A clean Mithi will be a great asset to not
only MNP but also to the entire city of Mumbai. It will have a direct impact on the health of the
mangrove ecosystem as well as the health of millions living along its banks.

ii. Slums
The slums of Prem Nagar and Rajiv Gandhi Nagar occupy over 10 acres of land adjacent to
MNP. Once these slum residents are rehabilitated under the Dharavi Redevelopment Scheme,
the areas they stand on must be immediately annexed into the MNP.
.........
Recommendations 125
Till then, the slum residents must be engaged for a mutually beneficial relationship with the
MNP. All efforts should be made to improve the career prospects of students in these slums
as well as safeguarding the dignity of the rest of the population through provision of adequate
number of toilets and bathrooms so that open defecation is completely stopped.
iii. Bandra-Kurla Complex

The future of the MNP is in many ways linked to the Bandra-Kurla Complex. The MNPS and
MNP management must establish a strong and symbiotic relationship with all stakeholder
groups of BKC, including the government, the workforce and the employers.
10. Podcasts
Podcasts can be used for educational purposes to support student learning or for tourism
purposes to give a flavour of the destination and for walking tours. Several podcasts for
walking tours have been created for the city of London: each tour covers a different destination
(e.g. Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace) and is available in different languages.
A similar personal audio tour can be created for MNP. The podcast can be available at MNP
and also on MNP’s website and can be played on an iPod, MP3 player or a smartphone.
Podcasting is perceived by many as an effective learning and teaching method.
11. Disabled-friendly: Creating an Inclusive Space

MNP should be accessible to people with hearing, vision, mobility, or mental impairments.
To become a disabled-friendly park, MNP should conduct a formal assessment of barriers to
access and work to remove these barriers.
.........
ORF Mumbai has identified several points of improvement that MNP should pursue. MNP should
equip itself with amenities such as ramps for easy mobility, accessible entrances, disabled-
friendly toilets and wider, better-paved walking paths. Additions such as tactile flooring for the
blind and special audio guides for the hearing-impaired should also be made available.
All buildings and trails should be wheelchair-accessible. A visitor with a disability certificate
should be allowed to park or unload in a designated parking zone close to the park’s entrance.
Wheelchairs should be available for free loan at the entrance of the park. In addition, the park
should list and mark out zones of the park that are wheelchair accessible, as well as clearly
indicate wheelchair entry-access points. The AV room and amphitheatre should have also have
areas marked out to cater to users with disabilities.
MNP should include disability awareness in staff training to sensitise park staff to the diverse
needs of visitors. MNP should also be prepared to provide a guide, an interpreter or other
special assistance for visitors with disabilities upon request.
39 Inhabitat online magazine, 7th May 2011 http://inhabitat.com/philadelphia-plants-its-very-

first-bus-stop-green-roof/
40 The main area of the Park will be treated like the Core Area of a Forest. The concept of core
area disallows any direct human intervention in the said area and advocates monitoring through
spatial and bio-mechanical methods to preserve the specific forest density and biodiversity of the
area. In short, there will be strict restrictions on noise levels, timings and the number of people
allowed at any given point in time inside the main area of the park.
41 BNHS, 2011
42 http://www.internetworldstats.com/asia/in.htm
.........
Recommendations 127
Map 3.14 Proposed zonal plan for MNP and Mangrove Nature Park
Promenade Biodiversity Reserve Core Area
Knowledge Centre Reservoir Public Use Area

Bridge and Mangrove Nature
Thoroughfare Parking
Park

.........
Vision
Indian Pond Heron, Ardeola grayii

They are widespread and common but can be easily missed when they stalk prey at the edge of small water-
bodies or even when they roost close to human habitations. Their camouflage is so excellent that they will close
approach before taking to flight, a behaviour which has resulted in folk names and beliefs that the birds are
short-sighted or blind.
.........
Vision 129
13
Vision
O RF Mumbai proposes a vision for the development of MNP. This vision has synergy with
the recommendations made by ORF Mumbai for the Mithi River’s transformation. The
recommendations under ORF Mumbai’s Vision are based on internationally accepted concepts
of walkable urbanity and open, green, inclusive public places. This is an opportunity for Mumbai
to create a world-class waterfront for enjoyment of its masses.
ORF Mumbai is aware that its vision and

recommendations need to be evaluated against a
comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) by an accredited agency. To introduce a critical
perspective to our vision and recommendations,
ORF Mumbai got both evaluated by well-known
environmental expert Dr. Santosh Tungare who’s
observations can be found in Annexure 6.
i. Biodiversity Reserve
ORF Mumbai proposes to convert the nursery
«
The ORF envisions the nursery to become an important of the park into a modern and multi-dimensional
knowledge and resource centre for all horticultural
Biodiversity Reserve. Currently, the nursery
needs like the Eden Project in the UK.
occupies around four acres of land in one of the
Source: www.edenproject.com
.........
130 Vision Ideas and Action for a Better India
most populated parts of Mumbai. Unfortunately, its revenue generation has never come close
to its potential. The nursery, like the rest of the park, must evolve radically. It must be made
attractive and its structure must be designed to be architecturally unique and outstanding. The
Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, is one such example.
At present the nursery at MNP sells only plants. We believe the nursery has great potential to
become a one-stop shop for all plant and urban gardening-related needs. We further envision
the nursery at MNP to be a biodiversity reserve and knowledge hub - the first of its kind
in Mumbai. The nursery would have dedicated personnel who will not only assist visitors in
the process of selecting the right plants and equipment, but also help in creating learning
experiences. The biodiversity reserve can be a place for research into plants and conservation.
At present the nursery at MNP sells only plants. We at ORF Mumbai believe
that the nursery has great potential to become a one-stop shop for all plant
and urban gardening needs.
The biodiversity reserve, with a separate building for the knowledge hub, could be contained
in an area of 9,400 square meters or 2.5 acres and about an acre-and-a-half from the current
nursery section can be added back to the core forest area. The aesthetically designed
knowledge hub building will use the eco-friendly construction material and have green roofs,
thus minimising its carbon footprint. The earth excavated from construction of the knowledge
hub in the nursery could be used for building other sections of the park, such as the promenade
and the public use area.
Besides the modernisation of the nursery, ORF Mumbai suggests the following features for
the Biodiversity Reserve to encompass all the elements of a multi-dimensional ecological
knowledge hub:
.........
Vision 131
1. Plants and Gardening

The section should include garden plants, seeds and bulbs, soil, manure and compost, pots,
gardening equipment, bird boxes, bird feeders and any other equipment or resource that one
might need for urban gardening.

2. Seed Bank
The seed bank would store seeds as a source for planting. It will be a type of gene bank. The
seeds stored can be of food crops, or those of rare species to protect biodiversity. This section
would be contained in an enclosed area of the building in the nursery.
3. Plant Tissue Culture and Grafting

Plant Tissue Culture (PTC) is a collection of techniques used to maintain or grow plant cells,
tissues or organs under sterile conditions on a nutrient culture medium of known composition.
The PTC will be used as a plant propogation method.
Grafting is the process of combining two plants into one, in order to create a stronger or
differently shaped variety. Plant grafting can be undertaken in case of almost all types
of plants.
4. Sustainable Living Section

Outdoor living tools, including outdoor furniture, rugs, mats, hammocks, camping equipment,
books and stationary, home accessories, sustainable fashion accessories like handbags and
recycled jewellery, energy saving devices like chargers, food and drink that is sustainably grown
and locally sourced will be on sale here. The section will have a kids' collection with wooden
and bamboo toys, books and notepads and a collectables and MNP memorabilia section that
has T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, stick-on magnets, badges, publications, calendars, greeting
cards with pictures of MNP and coffee table books on MNP.
.........
5. Flowers and Gifts Section

Sustainably grown flowers sold individually or as flower arrangements and bouquets will be
available here. This section must be run by a professional florist and should be accessible online
from the MNP website.
6. Coffee Shop and Snack Bar

The nursery section will look and feel more like a plants and green-living mall than the open-
air facility that exists today. Several visitors may spend more than half a day in this facility and
hence the recommendation to have a coffee shop and snack bar where they can rest and eat.
This facility will also attract users of the thoroughfare that are expected to number in the tens
of thousands each day.
7. Farmers' Market
The nursery is also an ideal place to promote a farmers’ market that would sell organically grown
fruits and vegetables that have been sourced directly from farmers in and around Mumbai.
8. Repository for Indigenous Species

Climate change is threatening the survival of several indigenous species of plants. A repository
of rare indigenous species will have temperature-controlled habitats and greenhouses that will
accurately mimick the specific habitat requirements of indigenous species of plants housed.
9. Mangrove Environment and Health Centre

The mangrove centre at the nursery will conduct regular monitoring/ patrolling of the mangroves
to check possible destruction, restore degraded mangroves, and disseminate information
regarding the importance of mangrove conservation.
.........
Vision 133
10. Training Centre

While the education centre housed in the park’s round building will fulfill the needs of
augmenting academic nature-education by imparting practical experiences, the training centre
in the Biodiversity Reserve will serve the larger interests of visitors with specific requirements.
This centre will conduct short courses on gardening, kitchen gardening, composting and
flower arrangements. Such short training programmes can potentially become a hit with young
professionals, the elderly and homemakers.
ii. Public Use Area

The public use area would be located in the currently unused 10 acres of the park, along
the eastern border where there is rampant dumping of industrial and domestic waste, open
defecation, trespassing and encroachment. We envision the area to become a free public space
for people to enjoy and relax. The entire public use area will also be completely wooded using
indigenous species, just like MNP's core forest area; the only exception being that people
visiting this area can do so for free, without paying any entry fee. The car park subway will lead
to this area using elevators and escalators. The gathering area where the car park will emerge
will have ticket booths for people to purchase the entry tickets to the MNP’s core area.
A large play area in the public use area will have recreational equipment such as seesaws,
merry-go-rounds, swings, slides, jungle gyms, chin-up bars, sandboxes and spring riders. This
equipment will help children develop physical coordination, strength, and flexibility, as well
as providing recreation and enjoyment. All materials used to create the play area will be eco-
friendly to adhere to MNP’s ethos. ORF Mumbai suggests a 9.98 acre large public use area so
that more people can enjoy the tranquillity of MNP.
.........
The recommended space would include:

« Ticket counters

« Food plaza

« Bicycle sharing and rental
«
Play area for children
«
Day-care centre

« Exhibition centre (designed like pavement
exhibition plazas) along the thoroughfare
«
Souvenir shops
The entire public use area would be a free

«
The unused 10 acres of the park, which is subjected Wi-Fi zone with international safety and security
to rampant dumping of industrial and domestic waste,
standards. It will also have large sheltered areas
open defecation, trespassing and encroachment, can
become a free multipurpose public use area. with enough natural lighting to be used as study
zones by children from the neighbouring slums.
This area will also have world-class toilet facilities that can cater to heavy footfalls.
iii. Bridge on the Mithi River- Seamless Connectivity

This report recommends a bridge across the Mithi River that connects the promenade on MNP
from its northeastern tip to BKC on the opposite bank. This pedestrian- and cyclist-only bridge
will be about 300 metres in length. Along with the promenade and a proposed thoroughfare
through the public used area, the bridge will seamlessly connect nearby transport hubs to each
other and the BKC at the same time. These transport hubs include several bus stops, major
bus depots at Dharavi, Sion, Chunnabhatti, Bandra, and Government Colony (BKC) as well as
suburban railway stations and associated skywalks of Bandra and Mahim on the Western line,
Sion on the Central line and Chunnabhatti on the Harbour line. This seamless connectivity is
.........
Vision 135
also planned so as to include Bandra, MMRDA, Income Tax and Bharat Nagar stations on the
upcoming Line II of phase 1 of the Mumbai Metro Project. In addition there will be connectivity
to historic monuments like the Riwa Fort and the Sion Fort surrounded by the Jawaharalal Nehru
Garden. Parts of this integrated connectivity infrastructure can have escalators and travelators
to encourage walking and save time while simultaneously decongesting vehicular traffic to truly
make MNP a connector of destinations.
The bridge itself must be an inspired architectural

creation. The Henderson Wave Bridge in Singapore is
one such inspiring pedestrian corridor, which is also
located in a very similar estuarine setting in the middle
of a busy city.
The design of the bridge and thoroughfare must

provide adequate shelter from rains and sun, while
ensuring the safety of the delicate eco-system of
the area.
The core premises of MNP itself should, at all

times, remain closed to users of the bridge and
promenade to maintain the integrity of the park
and to ensure its long-term sustainability. The entry
gates to the park should be separate and follow an
independent process.
«
The innovative Henderson Waves is the highest

pedestrian bridge in Singapore and the only bridge
with sculptural structure.
Source: www.theworldgeography.com
.........
iv. The Promenade

A 1.2-km-long and 12-mt-wide promenade along
the entire northern boundary of MNP, which
touches the waters of Mithi River, is seen as the
first step towards the initiation of the 18-km-long
Mithi River Park Corridor from Mahim Bay to Vihar
Lake as envisioned by ORF Mumbai.
The entire northern end of MNP that borders the

Mithi River must be converted into an elevated
promenade, raised in accordance with the high
«
Barren land along the park’s northern boundary — tide line of the estuary and MMRDA specifications.
ORF Mumbai envisages a 1.2-km-long and 12-meter-
wide promenade on this area.
The promenade should begin right where the BKC-
MNP bridge would end at the easternmost end of
the park. It will extend all along the Mithi up to the
park’s westernmost end. From here, the promenade will connect via pedestrian-and-cyclist-
only thoroughfares with the existing footpath outside the park on the south to complete the
loop. On the eastern side, the promenade will continue along with park’s proposed public use
area and extend to the footpath near its northern-end gate. This pedestrian-and-cyclist-only
thoroughfare will effectively prevent further encroachment from slums on the east and west
sides of the park.
The promenade will be provided with seating throughout in the form of benches or kattas
(parapet seating). A gabion wall would be constructed along the promenade (wall would
be porous and made of green materials). The promenade would include a separate cycling
.........
Vision 137
track and be disabled-friendly. The walking track itself could be made of old wooden sleepers
discarded by railways or interlocking tiles. The construction of the entire promenade will adhere
to the global standards of green construction and will ensure protection of the delicate estuarine
ecosystem of the area.
v. Mangrove Nature Park

ORF Mumbai proposes a 400-acre Mangrove Nature Park as an extension of MNP. The
Mangrove Nature Park will include 30-feet-high one-way board walks and separate cycle
tracks that will take visitors at the tree-top height inside the mangroves. There will be three
walks going in separate directions from the starting point – each covering an increasingly wider
stretch of the mangroves.
The elevated walkway will start from northern end of the proposed Biodiversity Reserve (existing
nursery) that fringes the Mithi River and lead visitors to an interaction with the mangroves. This
mangrove walk can be closer down to the forest floor, especially around the lakes inside the
mangrove forest that are hotspots for bird watching. However, it will be designed keeping
in mind the highly sensitive ecology of the region. Entry into the Mangrove Nature Park will
be provided from inside the park’s proposed Biodiversity Reserve, where ORF Mumbai has
proposed the use of open industrial elevators that are typically found at construction sites.
Such elevators require minimum digging for laying its foundation and can carry large number of
people simultaneously. The elevators will carry visitors up to where the 30-feet-high boardwalks
start. The landing at the top will have a large gathering area with information kiosks and maps
of the proposed mangrove nature walks.
Like the core area of the MNP, the number of visitors on the walkway at any given time will
be restricted. The Mai-Po Marshes Nature Reserve in Hong Kong, run by the WWF, is a well-
known global best practice in wetland conservation of this nature. Much closer to MNP, the
.........
Godrej Mangroves at Vikhroli managed by the Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology Centre
and Sewri Mangroves managed by the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) are also excellent examples
of mangrove conservation. Impact prediction and recommended mitigation of the proposed
Mangrove Nature Park by environmental consultant Dr. Santosh Tungare can be found in
Annexure 6.
Map 3.15 Consolidated connectivity map
Mumbai Metro Proposed Stations; Major Railway Stations;
BEST Bus Stops and Depots
Satellite Imagery Source: Google Earth Study and GIS Credit for Consolidaed Connectivity: Gautam
Kirtane
.........
Vision 139
Case Studies
Signature Spider, Argiope anasuja

This spider weaves four zig zag stripes in its web, and holds its legs together in pairs. It holds its legs in pairs
to disguise itself as a four legged creature; it does this to not appear like a spider.
.........
140 Case Studies Ideas and Action for a Better India
14
Case Studies
i. Parks within city limits

a. Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore

T he Central Catchment Nature Reserve is the largest nature reserve in Singapore,

occupying 2,889 hectares. Forming a large green lung in the geographical centre of the
city, it houses several recreational sites, including
the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, as well as
several newer facilities built to encourage public
appreciation of the reserve, such as the HSBC
TreeTop Walk.
It is one of the four gazetted nature reserves in

Singapore. All four nature reserves, along with the
parks, are protected under the Parks & Trees Act
2005.
The nature reserve acts as a catchment area for

«
The HSBC TreeTop Walk at the Central Catchment Nature the surrounding reservoirs. The country’s main
Reserve.
reservoirs - MacRitchie, Upper Seletar, Upper
Source: www.npark.gov.sg
.........
Case Studies 141
Peirce and Lower Peirce – are located in the central catchment area. The area was designated
to be a nature reserve when the Nature Reserve Ordinance was enacted in 1951. However,
the area was already protected since the early 1900s as a catchment area when the various
reservoirs were constructed.
Most forests in Central Catchment Nature Reserve were cleared for logging and cultivation
unlike Bukit Timah Nature Reserve, which remains relatively undisturbed. The Central Catchment
Nature Reserve now consists of a mixture of young and mature secondary forests with virgin
primary forest surrounding the reservoirs.
HSBC TreeTop Walk

The nature reserve contains a 250-metre suspension bridge. The HSBC TreeTop Walk opened
to public on 5 November 2004. It connects the two highest points in MacRitchie - Bukit Pierce
and Bukit Kalang. At the highest point, the bridge hangs 25 metres from the forest floor. The
difficulty level of the trail ranges from moderate to difficult. The suspension bridge serves an
important role in forest canopy research, giving researchers access to areas well off the ground.
To preserve tranquillity of the environment and for safety reasons, the number of people allowed
on the walkway is capped at 30. Visitors will only be able to travel along the narrow walkway in
one direction, by entering from the Bukit Pierce entrance and exiting through the Petaling Trail.
Rangers are deployed along the 10.3 km trail to ensure safety.
Nature Education
The Central Catchment Nature Reserve provides free guided tours to schools and the general
public. This is part of Singapore National Parks Board’s efforts to educate people about the
conservation of nature.43
.........
b. The High Line, New York

The High Line is a one-mile (1.6 km) long park built on a 1.45-mile (2.33 km) section of the
former elevated New York Central Railroad spur called the West Side Line, which runs along
the lower west side of Manhattan. It has been redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway.
The High Line Park currently runs from Gansevoort Street, one block below West 12th Street,
in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street,
through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West
Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Centre.
In 1999, the non-profit 'Friends of the High Line'

was formed by Joshua David and Robert Hammond,
residents of the neighborhood the High Line ran
through. They advocated for the Line’s preservation
and reuse as public open space, an elevated park
or greenway, similar to the Promenade Plantée
in Paris. Broadened community support of public
«
Highline Park: New York’s elevated green space redevelopment for the High Line for pedestrian use
built on an abandoned railway track. grew, and in 2004, the New York City government
Source: www.thehighline.org committed $50 million to establish the proposed
park.
The park’s attractions include naturalised plantings that are inspired by the self-seeded
landscape that grew on the disused tracks and new, often unexpected views of the city and the
Hudson River. Portions of track are adaptively re-used for rolling lounges positioned for river
views. Most of the planting, which includes 210 species, is of rugged meadow plants, including
clump-forming grasses, liatris and coneflowers, with scattered stands of sumac and smokebush,
but not limited to American natives. At the Gansevoort end, a grove of mixed species of birch
.........
Case Studies 143
already provides some dappled shade by late afternoon. Ipê timber for the built-in benches has
come from a managed forest certified by the Forest Stewardship Council, to ensure sustainable
use, conservation of biological diversity, water resources, and fragile ecosystems.44
ii. Mangrove Parks within City Limits

a. Mai Po Marshes, Hong Kong
The Mai Po Marshes is a nature reserve located near Yuen Longin, Hong Kong. The total area
of the park is about 21 hectares and is China’s smallest national park. The reserve is managed
by the World Wide Fund for Nature, Hong Kong (WWF-HK) since 1983; the Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department has responsibilities for this Ramsar site as a whole.
The education centre and natural conservation area is 380 acres (1.5 sq km) wide and its
surrounding wetland has an area of 1,500 acres (6 sq km). It provides a conservation area for
mammals, reptiles, insects, and over 350 species
of birds. Mai Po Marshes receive 40,000 visitors
annually.
Management
The Mai Po Nature Reserve is managed by
the WWF-HK. The marshes belong to the
Hong Kong SAR Government and are leased
to WWF-HK and private individuals. The lease
is annually renewable. Management at Mai
Po Nature Reserve (MPNR) has the goal of
maintaining and, where possible, increasing the
«
Mai Po marshes in Hong Kong is an internationally biodiversity of wetland habitats and the richness
significant wetland that is actually a shallow estuary. of native wildlife. Each year, WWF-HK carries out
Source: www.wwf.org.hk habitat management projects and infrastructure
.........
developments to ensure this important conservation wetland area capitalises on its vast
potential. WWF-HK works to promote use of the nature reserve for scientific research and
educational purposes in addition to organising tours for the general public.
Organisation Structure and Role of Government

About 20 WWF staff are permanently based at the MPNR carrying out habitat and infrastructure
management, research and monitoring, community, wetland training, education and visitor
marketing works. A management committee comprising local conservation experts, academics,
a government representative and other conservation land managers, meet quarterly to oversee
and advise on the development of the Reserve. WWF-HK works closely with the Government to
manage the MPNR and receives partial funding to carry out habitat management and educational
visits each year. Other funds are raised through membership, donations and sponsored events
at the reserve.
b. Godrej Mangroves, Mumbai

The Western bank of the Thane Creek is the single
largest mangrove belt in Mumbai. A substantial
tract of mangrove land is adjoining the Godrej
& Boyce township, Pirojshanagar, in Vikhroli, a
suburb of Mumbai45.
Vast areas under mangroves have been conserved

by Soonabai Pirojsha Godrej Marine Ecology
Centre (SPGMEC). Well diversified and well
protected, these are the last quality mangroves
«
The Godrej Mangroves in Mumbai are one of the best in the city. The vast expanse of these mangroves
maintained in the city.
serves as a second lung of the city only after
Source: www.mangroves.godrej.com
.........
Case Studies 145
the SGNP, which is under immense environmental pressure. Popularly known as the Godrej
Mangroves, the area presents a diverse ecosystem boasting 206 species of birds.
The mangrove flora of Pirojshanagar is well diversified. There are 16 species of mangroves and
mangrove associates. The faunal composition in the area is also equally diverse. Apart from 206
species of birds, 30 species of reptiles, 13 species of crabs, seven species of prawns and 20
species of fish have been identified so far in the area. Mammals like jackals and mongooses are
also sighted many a times.
This wetland acts as an important stopover for over a hundred species of migratory birds
including flamingos, gulls, terns, avocets and curlews. The SPGMEC has taken several
measures to protect these mangroves as a part of environmental and social responsibility.
One of the major objectives of the centre is conservation of the marine biodiversity (mangrove
ecosystem) through research, education/awareness building and regular monitoring.
Simultaneously, the centre is engaged in the propagation of various species of mangroves,
developing theme parks on medicinal plants, rare endemic plant species, and palms
amongst others.
Conservation activities by SPGMEC

The SPGMEC has undertaken several measures to protect the mangroves locally. Some of the
programmes undertaken are:
«
Regular monitoring/ patrolling in creek-side mangrove area conserved by
SPGMEC to check possible destruction of existing mangroves and protecting
rare species of mangroves.
«
Ecological restoration of degraded mangroves by raising nurseries and replenishing
degraded mangrove areas through artificial regeneration in different areas.
.........
«
Establishment of Mangrove Interpretation Centre: Dissemination of the information
regarding the importance of mangrove conservation through film/slide shows, seminars,
nature trails/camps, poster exhibitions etc.
The SPGMEC also helps visitors to explore the magnificent mangroves through:
«
Guided nature trails in mangroves, breathtaking view from towers
«
Visit to the marine aquarium
«
Interactive displays, posters, games in the interpretation centre
«
Presentations, talks and filmshows on mangroves and associated wildlife.
Apart from mangrove awareness programme, the Centre has developed modules on different
topics such as:
«
Biodiversity conservation
«
Mangroves as bio-resources
«
Combating global climate change
«
Butterflies around us
«
Birds in mangrove environment
«
Solid Waste Management
«
Medicinal plants
43 www.npark.gov.sg
44 www.thehighline.org
45 www.wwf.org.hk
.........
Case Studies 147
Annexure
Spotted Owlet, Athene brama

Owlets are really miniature. The Spotted Owlets is a common resident of open habitats including farmland
and human habitation. These birds being very familiar to humans especially with their loud calling have been
associated with bad omens. In Hindu mythology the owl is a vahan (mode of transport) of Lakshmi, goddess
of wealth.
.........
148 Excerpts of interview with Shanta Chatterji Ideas and Action for a Better India
15
Annexure 1
E xcerpts of an interview with Shanta

Chatterji
Q1: As you played an instrumental role in the

creation of MNP we would like to know what
sort of association do you have with MNP today
and what is the role of WWF right now?
A1: I have no idea!
Q2. We would like to know about your association

erji ildlife with MNP and how it came about to be.
ta Chatt on, World W
Shan irpers
a n A2: I was the CEO of the Western Region of WWF-I
er Ch Regio
Form
i a , W estern
Ind that covered four states: Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat
Fund
and Madhya Pradesh. I was interested in greening and
environmental education. So naturally I got associated
with projects in the WWF-I to declare green areas as
sanctuaries not only in Mumbai but Maharashtra and other places. Dr. Salim Ali, who was a
close family friend used to visit the Mahim Creek frequently for bird watching trips and we use
to join him often. We came to know about a public plan for Bandra Kurla Complex and that the
government was seeking public comments. Our main interest was to protect the birds in the
.........
Annexure 1: Excerpts of interview with Shanta Chatterji 149
creek. We prepared a three-page note and went the see the then BMRDA commissioner Mr.
Naik and two other people; Mr. Charles Correa and one other person. We asked them if they
could declare this area as a bird sanctuary. Mr. Naik agreed that it was a good idea. He wasn’t
aware that all these birds came here. He said that we recommend another activity in the area,
which is educational, and permanent because otherwise it will not last for very long – some
corporator can come and plan to build a swimming pool there or buildings. So this is how,
combining with the interest in education, the idea of a nature park came in - an area where
permanent activity will take place that they cannot throw off.
A meeting took place in Mantralaya where the Minister, and the Secretary and Charles Correa
were present along with Mr. Naik. I took with me Salim Ali’s book on birds and I flagged the
55 species of migratory and resident birds that flocked there. They liked the idea and allotted
a 40-acre area with creek frontage. In February 1979 we made a public declaration of this
ground and Dr. Salim Ali and all the Government people were invited. The site was a garbage
dump, 250 trucks used to come everyday to clear the garbage. Rag pickers from Dharavi
were engaged to clear the garbage. There were 18 bootleggers in the creek and they would
be hidden in mangroves so that no one could see them. Their main occupation was leather
making and brewing liquor. We never interfered with them. I have faith in the Indian tradition
that by and large people live in harmony with nature. The common man loves trees. Unless it
does not harm his occupation he will do a lot of cutting and chopping but to an extent, which
is reasonable.
In those days, the region which faces the road going to Kala Nagar was an open toilet. The
gradual transformation by the rag pickers was amazing. Some of our American friends who
were writers and photographers came here to see this and mentioned it in their works. The road
which goes to Kala Nagar from MNP was marshland. Mr. P. K. Das designed and constructed
a platform, a hiding place, from where people could do bird watching. It was made on stilts.
.........
150 Excerpts of interview with Shanta Chatterji Ideas and Action for a Better India
Dr. Salim Ali, the Urban Development Minister Mr. Hasu Advani, and Mr. Sohrab Godrej were
there for the inauguration. There were about a hundred people over there and one of them was
also Mr. Prannoy Roy who is now with NDTV. The media was very supportive, but doubtful.
People laughed, asking "who will come to this smelly creek and visit the mangroves".
On Ganesh Chaturthi in 1983, the first tree was planted. Then a committee was set up of seven-
eight people, which included representatives of the Airports Authority and BNHS… I don’t
remember now. But after the initial hype died down, things became stagnant. But then, Nalin
Jain, a disciple of Dr. Salim Ali, who was with the Central Ministry of Forest came from Delhi.
He came to see the area and was so impressed that he took me to the urban development
secretary here. He said it was too good an idea to be ignored and called the forest secretary
and told him to look at the proposal immediately. Luckily, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi came to
Bombay at about the same time to attend the BNHS's 25th anniversary. I spoke to her about
the proposal of the Mahim Nature Park and she thought it was a wonderful idea. So she put
me in touch with her secretary, who asked me to send him a half a page note on the park. I
mentioned in that note that the project would cost Rs. three crore. Things moved fast from them
on. He sent that note to the Chief Secretary here — Mr. B. G. Deshmukh. Mr. Deshmukh went
to the Chief Engineer and told him, “I am sanctioning three crores”, and ordered immediate
expedition of the work.
Q3. What has their contribution been? Do you think that MMRDA has devoted
time and effort towards MNP?
A3. I will only tell you up to when I was there. You can judge for yourself what the current
situation is. We had a team of national park service people, an architect and an education
service planner. We gave them our educational concept, which I worked out in the back of my
mind. The aim was to look at a traditional way of looking at nature to reach the widest audience
.........
Annexure 1: Excerpts of interview with Shanta Chatterji 151
base. In those days, at least, environment was being treated as a very ‘ethicised’ subject. But
environment is about how to live in harmony with nature. I put in an educational concept that
appealed to a larger audience who will then go to the park to see those things and then learn
the scientific reasons behind them. The rituals that we have in many of the festivals and prayers
are based on the scientific reasons. Even the tulsi leaf has so many medicinal values; the surya
namaskar has so many scientific reasons behind it. We, therefore, went about the education
schemes, which had the five elements of nature: the sun, the soil, water air and space. Even the
trails were made according to that.
The U.S. National Parks Service Team designed the main building in the shape of the sun with
rays coming out of it. It was a building with green walls and roof. Earlier there were lawns going
right up to the top of the building. They were perfect. Not only were the lawns intact but Dr.
Pranab Mukherjee, whom I had taken there once actually ran up the lawn. Can you believe that?
He ran up from the bottom right to the top.
And finally when they left, we had an architect called Mr. Ulhas Rane from Bombay who did
a lot of detailing afterwards. The WWF-I was given the charge of appointing the officers. We
appointed a project officer Vinay Pandya. Himanshu Joshi was appointed as the education
officer, while Bipin Joshi became the park’s horticulturalist. And we had about 35 workers. We
use to have monthly meetings with the BMRDA at my house. We had total independence and
there was no interference. We had a team of designers from the National Institute of Design,
the Delhi School of Architecture and the Indian Institute of Arts, Pune.
.........
152 Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga Ideas and Action for a Better India
16
Annexure 2
E xcerpts of an interview with Sunjoy Monga
Q1: How can we tackle MNP’s myriad issues?

A1: MNP suffers from typical 'babudom’, which is prevalent
throughout India. I am on the governing board and have
tried to make the park vibrant. The park is governed by
the MMRDA, so currently the park has a structure where
everything has to be approved and passed through the
MMRDA. The park suffers from a typical problem which
has more to do with human nature and egos. If that aspect
nga
San joy Mo er can be taken care of – which is very difficult in government
Phot ograph
W ildlife and semi-government set-ups – the idea is to have the
great Mithi Riverfront. We had suggested beautification of
the entire 300-metre-long stretch.
Q2: Have the mangroves outside the park been declared as a protected zone?
According to a WWF-I document the marshland outside MNP has been declared
as a protected area under the Forest Conservation Act.
A2: In the 1980s a huge area had been demarcated and was called the Mahim Bird Sanctuary.
The larger part of Mahim Nature Park had been notified at that time but it fell into loops because
.........
Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga 153
of ambiguity of ownership. The forest department refused to ensure its protection citing staff
shortage and budget constraints. Right now, this whole area falls under the Forest Conservation
Act. But it does not have any staff or budget. There is no patrolling. The mangroves continue to
get degraded due to the ambiguity of ownership.
Just the other day, we had a meeting with the MMRDA about the Mithi River. The same old
thing came up and they said that they can only do that much for the Mithi, beyond a point the
BMC has to intervene. The ORF Mumbai report on the Mithi River was a great idea but a long-
term solution. The point is you cannot just improve the stretch joining the MNP if Mithi 12-km
upstream is polluted. You have to see the problem in totality.
Q3: Can we extend the scope of MNP by incorporating the mangroves outside
MNP?
A3: Do not even suggest it because already a lot of questions are raised about the area of MNP.
People are questioning, "why have you left so much area that is prime real estate?" Mangroves
are a totally different entity. The mangroves come under the Forest Conservation Act, so
technically they are protected. You continue to read every day, there is garbage dumping
and other misuse... mangroves cannot be brought into the fold of the nature park. MMRDA
is planning to create five nature parks in the city. If the 12-km of the river upstream continues
to be used as an open sewer and dumping of wastes continues, its integration with MNP is
very difficult.
The park has so much potential as BKC is just across. There are so many corporates situated
there, it offers so much potential for revival. A wonderful example can be taken from the
Chooching River in Malaysia. It has been created in to a beautiful river from a sheer gutter. To
see the park and the mangroves in unison will need a massive exercise... there are almost half-a-
.........
154 Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga Ideas and Action for a Better India
million people living alongside the river and they have some of the worst living conditions. How
do you bring so many stakeholders on one platform?
Q4: What has been your experience being on the board of governors at MNP?
A4: It is very bureaucratic that is why I don’t even want to continue on it anymore. It ends
up in me losing a lot of time for my own work; I publish books, run children’s education
programmes... I lose time on that. It is an honourary position, we give them a lot of time, give them
creative inputs and ideas and when it comes to all that bickering... and it goes on and on. It is
very disappointing.
Q5: The park has not had a director for a very long time now. There is a deputy
director who is again a government appointee and but for four positions the
entire board it consists of seven-eight people from the government. Do these
members have the inclination to work for the park?
A5: One person who is with me on the board, who came up with great ideas but she is now as
fed up as me. It has been two years that we have been suggesting some structure and some
changes in the park. We suggested a structure, design, blueprint for the encroached land in
MNP, two years ago! We think the area should be revived because once the structure comes
up, people will not encroach it. We need to raise the boundary walls. The real value of MNP
must be hundreds of crores of rupees today. The then chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad, who
was earlier the MMRDA chief was gung-ho about it and was quite excited with our ideas... but
then what happened? With MMRDA there are no budgetary constraints, but nothing works.
Q6: What is the current budget of MNP? Is there a corpus fund or is there a
yearly budget?
A6: Honestly the budget was not a problem... but getting the money sanctioned was a problem.
You have to go through MMRDA. The park basically belongs to the MMRDA, so anything to be
.........
Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga 155
done there goes through them... through a tender. They allocate their engineers, contractors...
It is not like there is a leakage and the current management can call a plumber to fix it... it is not
like that.
Q7: So there is no freedom as such, to do anything?

A7: Above all it is the mindset. It is the mindset of the current management. The narrow mindset
to look at just the local schools, look at the park as just a walkthrough destination for visitors.
There is no attempt to make it classy. You have to first get the basic structure in place, but
without that, even the best of ideas will remain on paper with the necessary freedom or the
lack of it.
Q8: How would you ideally like to see MNP?

A8: I would like to see MNP as Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park, or the Royal Botanical Gardens.
These are institutions where people walk in there and come out with knowledge and a love
for nature.
Annexure 3: List of birds, reptiles and amphibians,
.........
156 Ideas and Action for a Better India
and butterflies of MNP
17
Annexure 3
L ist of birds, reptiles and amphibians, and butterflies of MNP
Table no: 2.7

Birds of Maharashtra Nature Park (Source: Adesh Shivkar)
Abbreviations: R= Resident; M= Migrant; LM= Local Migrant; C= Common; UC= Uncommon
No. Common Name Scientific Name Marathi Names
Family: Megalaimidae – Barbets
1 Coppersmith (Crimson Breasted) Barbet Megalaima haemacephala Tambat

Family: Meropidae – Bee-eaters
2 Small Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Veda raghu

Family: Pycnonotidae – Bulbuls
3 Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer Lalbudya bulbul
4 Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus Lalgallya bulbul, Shipai
bulbul
Family: Phalacrocoracidae - Cormorants
5 Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis Pankawla
6 Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger Chota pankawla
.........
Ideas and Action for a Better India 157
Family: Corvidae - Crows, Treepies

7 House Crow Corvus splendens Kaola
8 Large-billed (Jungle) Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Dom kaola
9 Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda Takkachor
Family: Cuculidae – Cuckoos
10 Eurasian Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
11 Pied Crested (Jacobin) Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus Chatak
12 Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopacea Kokila
13 Greater Coucal (Crow Pheasant) Centropus sinensis Bharadwaj, Kumbhar
kaola
Family: Columbidae - Doves & Pigeons
14 Laughing (Little Brown) Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Hola
15 Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis Thipkya kavada
16 Blue Rock Pigeon Columba livia Parv, Kabutar
17 Yellow-footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicoptera Hariyal, Harud
Family: Dicruridae – Drongos
18 Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus Kotwal, Kolsa
Family: Anatidae – Ducks
19 Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha Haldi-Kumkum
20 Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica Maraal
Family: Podicipedidae – Grebes
21 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Pandubi
Family: Accipitridae - Hawks, Eagles, Harriers, Kites, Vulture
22 Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
23 Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis
24 Eurasian Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Daldal sasana, Daldal
harin
25 Shikra Accipiter badius Shikra
.........
26 Black Kite Milvus migrans Ghar

27 Brahminy Kite Haliastur indus Sagaari ghar
Family: Falconidae – Falcons
28 Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus Shaahi sassana
Family: Ardeidae - Egrets, Herons
29 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Gai bagla,
30 Great Egret Egretta alba Mor bagla, Thorla bagla
31 Intermediate (Median) Egret Ardea intermedia Madhyam bagla
32 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Lahan bagla
33 Western Reef Egret (Reef Heron) Egretta gularis Kala bagla
34 Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax Raat bagla
35 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Rakhi bagla
36 Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii Vanchak
Family: Phoenicopteridae – Flamingos
37 Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor Chota rohit
Family: Dicaeidae- Flower peckers
38 Pale-billed (Tickell’s) Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos Phultoch, Phoolchukya
Family: Muscicapidae : Sub family: Muscicapinae - Flycatchers
39 Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi Svargiya nartak
40 Monarch, Black-naped Flycatcher Hypothymis azurea Nil-mani
41 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva Tambula
42 Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae Nilima
43 White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis Nachra, Nartak
Family: Laridae – Gulls
44 Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Kalya dokyacha kurav
45 Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus Tapkiri dokyacha kurav
46 Pallas’s Gull Larus ichthyaetus
.........
47 Slender-billed Gull Larus genei Gulabi kurav

Family: Upupidae – Hoopoe
48 Common Hoopoe Upupa epops Hudhud
Family: Threskiornithidae – Ibis
49 Oriental White (Black-headed) Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus Pandhra Kudal, Pandhra
sherati
Family: Irenidae - Ioras, Leafbirds
50 Common Iora Aegithina tiphia Subhag
Family: Jacanidae – Jacanas
51 Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus Kamalpakshi
Family: Alcedinidae – Kingfishers
52 Common (Small Blue) Kingfisher Alcedo atthis Bandya
53 White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis Khandya
Family: Rallidae, Moorhens, Waterhens, Coots
54 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus Pan kombdi
55 White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus Lazari pankombdi
Family: Estrildidae – Munias
56 Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata Thipkewali manoli
57 Red Avadavat Amandava amandava Laal manoli
Family: Sturnidae - Starlings, Mynas
58 Common or Indian Myna Acridotheres tristis Salonki
59 Asian Pied (Pied Myna) Starling Sturnus contra Hudi myna
60 Chestnut-tailed (Grey-headed) Starling Sturnus malabaricus Pawai myna
61 Rosy (Rosy Pastor) Starling Sturnus roseus Gulabi myna, Bhordi
Family: Caprimulgidae : Nightjars
62 Indian Nightjar Caprimulgus asiaticus Ratwa
Family: Oriolidae- Orioles
.........
63 Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus Haldya, Kanchan

Family: Strigidae – Owls
64 Scops Owl (Eurasian or Pallid) Otus scops or Otus brucei Varkaani ghubad
65 Barn Owl Tyto alba Pinjra Ghubad
66 Spotted Owlet Athene brama Pingla
Family: Psittacidae – Parakeets
67 Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria Hiraman Popat
68 Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula roseata Keera, Tuiya
69 Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri Popat
Family: Muscicapidae : Subfamily: Sylviidae - Prinia’s
70 Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis Rakhi vatvatya
71 Plain Prinia Prinia inornata Vatvatya
72 Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius Shimpi
Family: Turdidae - Robins, Chats, Thrush
73 Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicata Chirak, Kalokhi
74 Oriental Magpie Robin Copsychus saularis Dayal
Family: Coraciidae – Rollers
75 Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis Nilkanth, Chash
Family: Laniidae – Shrikes
76 Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach Naklya khatik
Family: Scolopacidae - Snipes, Sandpipers
77 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Pan lawa
Family: Passeridae - Sparrows, Finches
78 House Sparrow Passer domesticus Chimni
Family: Nectariniidae – Sunbirds
79 Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica Jambhla Shinjir /
suryapakkshi
.........
80 Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia zeylonica Jambhulbudya Shinjir /

suryapakkshi
Family: Hirundinidae - Swallows, Martins
81 Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica Bhandik, Bhingri
82 Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii Tarwali
83 Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica Lalbudi bhingri
84 Dusky Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne concolor Ababil
Family: Apodidae – Swifts
85 Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis Tadpakoli
86 House Swift Apus affinis Gharpakoli
Family: Sternidae – Terns
87 Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia Mothi suray
88 Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica Suray
89 Little Tern Sternula albifrons Choti Suray
90 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida Tamramukh suray
Family: Charadriidae - Lapwings, Sandpipers, Stints, Shanks & Other Waders
91 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus Titwi
92 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Tutari
93 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
94 Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus Hirvi tuutari
95 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis Chikhli tutari
96 Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinerea
97 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola Thipkewala tutari
98 Ruff Philomachus pugnax Galabandh panlawa
99 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
100 Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
101 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Kural
.........
102 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Hirva tutvaar, Hirva

bataan
103 Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Malguja, Khag
104 Little Stint Calidris minuta Chhota panlawa
105 Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii
106 Common Redshank Tringa totanus lal tutvaar, Chhota
bataan
Family: Recurvirostridae – Stilts, Avocets
107 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Shekatya
108 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta Uchat
Family: Charadriidae – Plovers
109 Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Kentish chikhli
110 Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus
111 Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius Katheri chilkha
112 Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva Sonn chilkha
Family: Motacillidae- Pipits, Wagtails
113 Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus
114 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Rakhi dhobi
115 White Wagtail Motacilla alba Pandhra dhobi, parit
116 Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava Pivla dhobi
117 Paddy-field Pipit Anthus rufulus Bhartriya pipit
Family: Muscicapidae : Subfamily: Sylviinae - Warblers
118 Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
119 Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata
.........
120 Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus

121 Greenish Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
122 Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Family: Ploceidae - Weaver Birds
123 Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus Sugran, Gavlan, Vinkar
Additional birds listed in Sunjoy Monga’s book on MNP
124 Little Green Heron
125 Coot
126 Yellow wagtail
127 Brown-headed Barbet
128 Jungle Bush Quail
129 Common Hawk Cuckoo
130 Bluethroat
131 White-rumped vulture
132 Common Krstrel
133 Mahratta / Yellow-crowned Woodpecker
134 Eurasian Wryneck
135 Indian Pitta
.........
Table no: 2.8
List of Amphibians and Reptiles of MNP (Source: Reptiles and Amphibians of Maharashtra Nature
Park by Vijay Awasare)
No. Category Common Name Zoological Name

1 Amphibians Skittering Frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis
2 Common Tree Frog Polypedates maculates
3 Indian Bull Frog Hoplobatrachus tigrinus
4 Common Toad Duttaphrylus melanostictus
5 Terrapins Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans
6 Indian Pond Terrapins Melanochelys trijuga
7 Mud or Flap Shell Turtle Lissemys punctata
8 Geckos Brooks Gecko Hemidactylus brookii
9 Bark Gecko Hemidactylus ieschenaultii
10 Yellow Green House Gecko Hemidactylus flaviviridus
11 Northern House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus
12 Asian House Gecko Hemidactylus frenatus
13 Lizards Common Garden Lizard Calotus veriscolor
14 Skinks Snake Skink Riopa Punctata
15 Keeled Grass Skink Eutropis carinata
16 Chameleons Indian Chameleon Chameleon zeylanicus
17 Monitor Lizard Common Indian Monitor Lizard Varanus bengalensis
18 Non-Venomous Snakes Blind Snake Ramphotyphlops braminus
19 Red Sand Boa Eryx johnii
20 Indian Rock Python Python molurus molurus
21 Rat Snake Pytas mucosa
22 Common Sand Boa Gongeylophis conicous
23 Buff Striped Keelback Amphiesma stolata
24 Common Bronze Backed Tree Dendrelaphis tristis
Snake
25 Common Green-Whip Snake Ahaetulla nasutus
.........
26 Common Cat-Snake Boiga trigonata

27 Dog Faced Water Snake Cerberus rynchops
28 File Snake Acrochordus granulatus
29 Glossy Marsh Snake Geradia prevostiana
30 Trinket Snake Elaphe helena
31 Common Wolf Snake Lycodon aulicus
32 Common Kukri Oligodon arnensis
33 Banded Racer Argyogena fasciolatus
34 Checkered Keelback Xenochrophis piscator
35 Green Keelback Macropisthodon plumbicolor
36 Venomous Snakes Indian Cobra Naja naja
37 Russell’s Viper Daboia russelii
38 Common Indian Krait Bungarus caeruleus
39 Saw-scaled Viper Echis carinatus
40 Green or Bamboo Pit Viper Trimeresurus graminus
.........
Table no: 2.9
List of Butterflies of MNP (Source: Butterflies of Maharashtra Nature Park by

Nelson Rodrigues)
No. Common Name Zoological Name
1 Lime Butterfly Papilio demoleus
2 Common Mormon Papilio Polytes
3 Common Jay Graphium doson
4 Tailed Jay Graphium agamemnon
5 Blue Mormon Papilo polymnestor
6 Common Jezebel Delias eucharis
7 Psyche Leptosia nina
8 Common Gull Cepora nerissa
9 Pioneer Anaphaeis aurota
10 Small Salmon Arab Colotis amata
11 White Orange Tip Ixias marianne
12 Yellow Orange Tip Ixias pyrene
13 Great Orange Tip Hebomoea glaucippe
14 Common Wanderer Pareronia valeria
15 Common Emigrant Catopsilia pomona
16 Mottled Emigrant Catopsilia pyranthe
17 Common Grass Yellow Eurema hecabe
18 Spotless Grass Yellow Eurema laeta
19 Common Pierrot Castalius rosimon
20 Common Cerulean Jamides celeno
21 Zebra Blue Syntarucus plinius
22 Dark Grass Blue Zizeeria karsandra
23 Tiny Grass Blue Zizula hylax
24 Lime Blue Chilades laius
25 Gram Blue Euchrysops cnejus
26 Plum Judy Abisara echerius
.........
27 Red Pierrot Talicada nyseus

28 Forget-me-not Catochrysops strabo
29 Rounded Pierrot Tarucus nara
30 Common Line Blue Prosotas nora
31 Peacock Royal Tajuria cippus
32 Apefly Spalgis epius
33 Common Hedge Blue Acetolepis puspa
34 Indian Cupid Everes lacturnus
35 Plains Cupid Edales pandava
36 Common Silverline Spindasis vulcanus
37 Indian Sunbeam Curetus thetis
38 Pea Blue Lampides boeticus
39 Common Evening Brown Melantis leda
40 Bamboo Tree Bown Lethe europa
41 Black Rajah Charaxes solon
42 Common Nawab Polyura athamas
43 Common Palmfly Elymnias hypermnestra
44 Common Castor Ariadne merione
45 Common Leopard Phalata phalantha
46 Blue Pansy Junonia orithya
47 Lemon Pansy Junonia lemonias
48 Peacock Pansy Junonia almanac
49 Grey Pansy Junonia atlites
50 Chocolate Pansy Precis iphita
51 Gaudy Baron (F) Euthalia lubentina
52 Danaid Eggfly Hypolimnas missipus
53 Great Eggfly Hypolimnas bolina
54 Blue Oakleaf Kallima horsfieldi
55 Common Sailer Neptis hylas
56 Short Banded Neptis columella
.........
57 Commander Moduza procris

58 Common Baron Euthalia aconthea
59 Painted Lady Cynthia cardui
60 Tawny Coster Acraea violae
61 Plain Tiger Danaus chryssipus
62 Striped Tiger Danaus genutia
63 Blue Tiger Tirumala limniace
64 Glassy Tiger Parantica aglea
65 Common Crow Euploea core
66 Common Awl Hasora badra
67 Plain Banded Awl Hasora vita
68 Brown Awl Badamia exclametio
69 Chestnut Bob Iambrix salsala
70 Grass Demon Udaspes folus
71 Common Redeye Metapa aria
72 Rice Swift Borbo cinnara
73 Conjoined Swift Pelopidas conjuncta
74 Small Branded Swift Pelopidas mathias
75 Indian Palm Bob Suastus gremius
76 Dark Palm Dart Telicota ancilla
.........
Table no: 2.10
List of Spiders of MNP (Source: Spiders of Maharashtra Nature Park)
No. Common Name Zoological Name

1 White Lynx Spider Oxyopes sweta (Oxyopidae)
2 Burmese Lynx Spider Oxyopes birmanicus (Oxyopidae)
3 Wolf Spider Pardosa sp. (Lycosidae)
4 Two-tailed Spider Hersilia savigynii (Hersilidae)
5 Vibrating/Daddy long-legs spider Phocus phalangioides (Pholcidae)
6 Giant wood spider Nephilia pilipes (Nephilidae)
7 Lynx Spider Tapponia sp. (Oxyopidae)
8 Green Orchard Spider Leucauge decorate (Tetragnathidae)
9 Garbage Lining Spider Cyclosa sp. (Araneidae)
10 Grey Wall Jumper Menemerus bivittatus (Salticidae)
11 Crab Spider Thomisus spectabius (Thomisidae)
12 Ant-mimicking Spider Myrmarachne plataleoides (salticidae)
13 Adanson’s House Jumper Hasarius adansoni (Salticidae)
14 Banded Jumper Phintella vittata (Salticidae)
15 Two-striped Jumper Telamonia dimidiate (Salticidae)
16 Heavy Jumper Hyllus semicupreus (Salticidae)
17 Sac spider Cheiracanthium sp (Miturgidae)
18 Leaf-Rolling Comb-Footed Spider Achaearanea mundula (Theridiiae)
19 Kidney Garden Spider Araneus mitificus (Araneidae)
20 Orbweaver Spider Neoscona theisi (Araneidae)
21 Long-jawed/Stretch Spider Tetragnatha cf mandibulata
(Tetragnathidae)
22 Signature Spider Argiope anusuja (Araneidae)
23 Lawn/Funnel Spider Hippasa sp. (Lycosidae)
24 Spiny-backed Spider Thelacantha brevispina (Araneidae)
25 Tent Spider Cyrtophora cicatrosa (Araneidae)
26 Cribellate Orb Weaver Uloborus sp. (Uloboridae)
Annexure 4: Existing structure of MNPS Board of
.........
Governors and staff profile
18
Annexure 4
E xisting structure of MNPS Board of Governors and staff profile
Table no: 2.11
Board of Governors of the Maharashtra Nature Park
1. Chief Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra President

2. Smt. Pheroza J. Godrej, art historian and environmentalist Co-President (Term expired
on 20.03.2011)
3. Metropolitan Commissioner, MMRDA Member
4. Municipal Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Member
Greater Mumbai
5. Principal Secretary, Urban Development-I, Government Member
of Maharashtra
6. Principal Secretary, School Education, Government of Member
Maharashtra
7. Principal Secretary, Forests, Government of Maharashtra Member
8. Secretary, Environment, Government of Maharashtra Member
9. The Chairman, Maharashtra State Committee, WWF-I Member (dormant since last
10 years)
.........
10. Trustee, WWF-I Member (dormant since last

10 years)
11. Dr. Marselin R. Almeida, botanist Member (Term expired on
20.03.2011)
12. Shri Ravindra Balkrishna Sule, Former Principal Chief Member (Term expired on
Conservator, Government of Maharashtra 20.03.2011)
13. Shri Sunjoy Monga, eminent wildlife photographer and Member (Term expired on
author 20.03.2011)
[Source: Maharashtra Nature Park Society]

.........
Table no: 2.12
Existing staff profile of the park

Type of Employee Status Number of Positions
Employees
Administration Permanent 13 • Deputy Director

• Secretary to MNPS
• Administrative Officer
• Stenotypist
• Clerk
• Account Assistant
• Horticulture Assistant
• Helpers (six)
Security Temporary, 21 Security Workers (six per shift,

outsourced three shifts per day)
from Bombay Supervisors (three)
Intelligence
Security
Agency
Gardening Temporary, 32 Supervisors (four)
call for Workers (28)
tenders
from various
agencies
[Source: Maharashtra Nature Park Society]

.........
Annexure 5: Content map of proposed MNP website 173
19
Annexure 5
C ontent map of the proposed MNP Website
The website should be interactive and must give all relevant information like:
«
About the Park
«
MNP’s Management
«
Visitor Information
«
Entry Fees and Reservations
«
Rules of the Park, which must be modified to include:
«
Attractions of the Park and timings
«
Information on all educational courses, internships and activities including
events and workshops
«
Podcasts
«
Photo Gallery
«
Biodiversity Range offerings and attractions
«
Educational / certificate courses, Volunteer and Internship Programmes
«
Conservation Section: This section can give basic information to readers about being
environmentally conscious in our daily lives.
«
Membership information
«
Online shopping of MNP merchandise etc.
ORF Mumbai has created a dedicated website for MNP (www.mnpmumbai.com) that has
incorporated most of the above mentioned content.
.........
174 Impact prediction of mangrove park by Dr. Santosh Tungare OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION MUMBAI
20
Annexure 6
I mpact prediction of the proposed Mangrove Nature

Park
Project Background
ORF Mumbai has proposed a 400-acre Mangrove Nature
Park as an extension of the MNP. The Mangrove Nature
Park will include 30-feet-high one-way board walks with
separate cycle tracks that will take visitors at the tree-top
height inside the mangroves. Three walks going in separate
directions are proposed from the starting point– each
gare covering an increasingly wider stretch of the mangroves.
a n t o sh Tun green
S echno
Part ner, T utions
ol
r o n m ental S
Env i The elevated walkway will start from northern end of the
proposed Biodiversity Reserve (existing nursery) that
fringes the Mithi River and lead visitors to an interaction
with the mangroves. This mangrove walk can be closer down to the forest floor, especially
around the lakes inside the mangrove forest that are hotspots for bird watching. Entry into the
Mangrove Nature Park will be provided from inside the park’s proposed Biodiversity Reserve,
where ORF Mumbai has proposed the use of open industrial elevators that are typically found
at construction sites. Such elevators require minimum digging for laying its foundation and
.........
Impact prediction of mangrove park by Dr. Santosh Tungare 175
can carry large number of people simultaneously. The elevators will carry visitors up to where
the 30-feet-high boardwalks start. The landing at the top will have a large gathering area with
information kiosks and maps of the proposed mangrove nature walks.
Ecology of the area

Maharashtra Nature Park and its environs boasts of about 76 varieties of butterflies, more than
125 species of birds, and as many as 14,000 plants of 300 varieties, including at least 100 kinds
of woody trees and a wealth of herbs and shrubs. MNP is also a natural habitat for a wide
range of insects, spiders, reptiles and amphibians. Apart from these there are vast expanses of
mangroves and its associated flora and fauna.
Environmental impacts of the proposed project

It is understood that, as any developmental project, this project will have impacts on the ecology
and environment of the area. The impacts can broadly be classified into a) Impacts during
construction phase and b) Impacts during operational phase
Impacts of constructional phase

Impacts during the construction phase would be localised. Some of the impacts may be
temporary and some may be permanent. During construction of the boardwalks and/or other
structures there would be impacts related to the activity. Some of the impacts would be as
enlisted under:
«
There would be a direct habitat loss in areas where footings/ pilons of the walkway are
to be cast. These areas will have to be cleared and there may be mangroves in some
patch of it which may have to be cut.
«
Creation of pathways for movement of construction materials will pose a threat to the
mangroves and disturb the ecology of the area.
«
Dredging activity and dislodging of dredged material in the surrounding area may
cause suffocation to the mangroves. Since mangroves have aerial roots, the dumped
.........
material can have serious impacts.

«
The construction of boardwalks in mangrove wetlands can be detrimental if they
are constructed in a linear fashion. This leads to wind tunneling, which eventually
results in mangrove dieback.
«
There may be some change in the pattern of tidal hydrology and surface flow due to
the pilons.
«
Dust generated from the casting of pilons on site can cause temporary effect on the
mangroves. The settled dust on leaves and pneumatophores can cause disturbance in the
physiological process of the plants.
«
Elevated noise levels during the construction activity would disturb the fauna (avifauna)
of the project area.
«
Studies have revealed that boardwalks constructed near the mangroves can have
impacts on the assemblage pattern on the macrofauna present in the mangrove swamp.
It is found that the macrofauna stray away from the areas near the boardwalks.
«
It is proposed that the boardwalk would be 30 feet above the ground with a width
of 5m and viewing decks of 20m x 30m (expected nos. 7). The total length of the boardwalk
is 3.24 km (longest trail) and other midsize trails and mini trails are approx. 0.5 km and 0.4
km respectively. The total area works out to be > 25,000 sq.mt. This area may provide a
source of constant cover to the mangroves and which may pose hindrance in the
physiological processes of the plants. For e.g. it may hamper direct sunlight and thereby
affect the process of photosynthesis.
«
Material of construction has to be researched well before commencement of the
project. Since the project is constantly exposed to salty winds, the structure would be
prone to corrosion.
«
A positive impact would be that the pilons would provide substrate for growth of
attached molluscs such as barnacles.
.........
Impact prediction of mangrove park by Dr. Santosh Tungare 177
Impacts during operational phase

Impacts occurring during the operational phase of the project shall be of permanent nature.
However, the same can be managed by implementation of proper mitigation measures. Some
of the impacts that can be enlisted as under:
«
By the induction of this project the pristine areas which were not accessible would be
made open for public. Pressure on the ecosystem would increase.
«
The project proposes a cycling track on the board walk. This activity needs to be
monitored closely as it may encourage more miscreants than serious cyclists.
«
Littering would increase and solid waste dumping would easily reach to areas which
otherwise would be inaccessible to common people.
«
Increased pressure from visitors may affect the influx of avifauna. Disturbance caused
may affect the nesting and breeding of the birds residing in the mangroves.
«
Current state of the mudflats near the proposed project is such that they are highly
polluted and the prevailing conditions are grossly anaerobic. Peculiar stench of Hydrogen
Sulfide (H2S) is prevailing for most of the time. At the proposed height of 30 feet, it
is possible that the visitors would be exposed to H2S gas which may lead to H2S
poisoning. This may especially affect the senior citizens and children visiting the
Mangrove Nature Park.
«
It is possible that the board walk can be misused for illegal activities like felling and
smuggling of mangroves because of easy accessibility.
Mitigation measures
«
Route of the board walk should be planned in such a manner that as far as possible no
damage or very minimal damage is caused to the mangroves during the construction
phase.
«
Alternative solutions for construction of the boardwalk need to be explored. Interlocking
HDPE blocks can be looked upon as an option.
.........
«
Width of the boardwalk and size of the viewing deck can be reduced. This will in turn
reduce the area of shade over the mangrove canopy. Effective and optimised sizes
should be carefully worked out.
«
Other options like having suspension bridge, (like Laxman Jhula) can be explored
for its feasibility. Also, you can think of cable car or ropeway which would not require actual
structure in the mud flat/ mangrove area.
«
Cycling path if possible can be avoided on the board walk.
«
Construction activities that generate high levels of noise should be carried out only
during day time. They should be strictly avoided during night time. In fact no construction
activity should be carried out at night hours.
«
Effective solid waste management practices should be implemented.
«
Visitor traffic should be strictly regulated in order to reduce pressure on the ecosystem.
«
If possible the boardwalk should be closed to public during monsoon. Only researchers
may be allowed. Monsoon is a period when the cleansing of the system occurs naturally as
well as it is a breeding season for most of the aquatic life forms. Hence disturbance
should be minimum.
«
Oxygen cylinders and/or other medical facilities should be made readily available to
visitors in case of H2S exposure and effects.

.........
Ideas and Action for a Better India List of materials for construction 179
21
Annexure 7
L ist of materials for construction
1. Materials for all internal walls, holding walls and dividing/connecting

walls
a. Aerated concrete blocks
b. Hollow concrete blocks
c. Bamboo particle board
d. Bamboo matting
e. Precast mud blocks
f. Precast ceramic blocks (new technology and expensive)
g. Bagasse boards
h. Chain-link wall garden
2. External walls constituting main construction

a. Precast cement blocks
b. High strength aluminum and/or high strength tensile steel if the construction is
going to be based on scaffoldings
c. Ferro-cement for foundations
.........
180 List of materials for construction Ideas and Action for a Better India
3. Floors
a. Rolled floor made out of construction debris (external flooring)
b. Discarded railway sleepers, old telegraph poles, discarded wood (internal)
c. Burnt mud paver blocks (for external flooring)
d. Flyash bricks (for external flooring)
e. Red oxide flooring and polishing
f. Compressed earth/mud bricks
4. Ramp
a. Discarded railway sleepers, old telegraph poles, discarded wood
b. Use of bamboo in an interlocking grip and/or rat trap bond
c. Flyash bricks
d. Calcinated silicate boards and tiles
e. Fly-ash and sand lime bricks
f. Gypsum boards, tiles in combination with jute
g. Compressed Earth Blocks
h. Coal washery rejects bricks
i. Burnt clay mixed with fly-ash bricks
5. Roofing
a. Mangalore tiles
b. Waterproof Bagasse boards
c. Jute-fibre polyester mix boards, bricks and tiles
.........
Ideas and Action for a Better India List of materials for construction 181
In addition, the following can be considered for connecting bridges, cycle-tracks, shelters,
seating etc.
1. Bamboo can be used for low-capacity to medium capacity people bridges
2. Wood from certified forests
3. Precast mud blocks for internal walls etc.
4. Sun-dried bricks
5. Calcinated phospho-gypsum wall panels
6. Insulating bricks from rice husk
A bird’s-eye view of a transformed MNP as envisioned by the ORF Mumbai including the free use area at the eastern end, the
thoroughfare, bridge connecting MNP and BKC, the promenade along the park’s northern boundary and the boardwalks to
include the Mangrove Nature Park as an inclusive offering of the MNP.
A top-angle view of the proposed MNP-BKC bridge from the BKC side giving the option to
thousands of office-goers to just walk across and through the MNP all the way to Sion, just
10 minutes away.
A transformed MNP as viewed from the Dharavi side. The proposed MNP-BKC bridge
and thoroughfare will serve as one the city’s most ideal connector of destinations. Linking
this bridge with skywalks at the Sion and Chunabhatti stations can make walking to BKC
from these stations a pleasurable 15-minute-affair.
The view of the boardwalks of the proposed Mangrove Nature Park, recommended
to be an integral part of MNP, will give visitors a chance to explore the natural
scenery and also understand its significance for the city of Mumbai.
The proposed boardwalks will begin from the revamped nursery at the western
end of the park, which has been envisioned to be transformed into a modern and
multidimensional ‘Biodiversity Reserve’.
.........
Afterword and Long-Term Vision 185
22
Afterword and Long-Term Vision
T he key to long-term preservation of MNP as a global ecological best practice is to declare

the entire precinct of the park a green zone in line with the park’s ethos. This will entail
bringing the entire stretch of a clean Mithi River and the land on both its banks – including
the BKC, MNP, its mangrove forests and estuarine mudflats spread over 400 acres, Dharavi
and Kalanagar, and all the way up to the Mahim beach-under one unified plan for urban
transformation as per the global concepts of walkable urbanity and green open public spaces.
Such a vision will eventually entail some tough and politically sensitive decisions like rehabilitation
of all other slums existing on the eastern edge of the BKC and near Kalanagar, including
Bharat Nagar, Sant Dnyaneshwar Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, Sheshwadi and Bhatia Nagar in a
humane manner, as part of the Mithi River Transformation vision envisaged by ORF Mumbai.
This can become a reality only if the government implements the Dharavi Redevelopment
Plan in a transparent manner and keeps in mind the wellbeing of all stakeholders involved,
most importantly the slum dwellers. The government will also have to consider the Dharavi
redevelopment in an eco-friendly manner and declare the entire zone currently occupied by
Dharavi slums and all other buildings as a ‘Green Zone’, in perfect harmony with the ethos of
MNP.
As an immediate measure, once the existing water pipelines become useless post the tunnelling
of the water mains, the MCGM must pull down the pipes that cross the Mithi River near the
.........
186 Afterword and Long-Term Vision Ideas and Action for a Better India
Mahim Causeway. The Mahim Causeway and the railway bridges, too, eventually need to be
pulled down to make way for aesthetically designed bridges, which will be high enough above
the high tide line of the Mahim Estuary to enable leisure boats to sail freely in and out of the
estuary waters.
Last but not the least, the work of the MNP precinct development must also encompass
redevelopment of the Mahim Beach as one of India’s best urban seafronts. It is this very area,
sandwiched between the historic Mahim Fort and the Castella de Aguada at Bandra that the
sweet water of the Mithi merges with the salt water of the Arabian Sea. It is this very area that
has been a mute witness to Mumbai’s chequered history. Unfortunately, long years of abject
misuse and neglect have reduced the once grand Mahim Fort to a monument of disgrace.
Bandra Fort, too, has been hardly saved from the ignominy of shameful human abuse.
It will be a real gift to the city if the government takes a leaf out of this ORF Mumbai report
and gets a holistic view of the future development of this most priceless piece of land, which,
together with its natural wealth, still remains the only link of the old city of Mumbai with its
northern suburbs. Will the Government of Maharashtra and political leadership of this great city
rise up to the challenge and put, for just once, larger public interests ahead of its myopic and
short-term gains?
.........
Acknowledgments 187
23
Acknowledgments
O bserver Research Foundation Mumbai would like to express its deepest gratitude to Mr.
Rahul Asthana, former Metropolitian Commissioner, MMRDA and Mr. Avinash Kubal,
Deputy Director, Maharashtra Nature Park, for giving ORF Mumbai researchers the freedom to
explore the entire area of the park and for sharing critical data that has made this report exhaustive
and accurate.
Our sincere thanks to Ms. Shanta Chatterji, one of the original visionaries of the city who
conceptualised the MNP 40 years ago, for sharing valuable inputs and old pictures depicting
the park’s transformation since the 1970s.
Renowned art conservationist and environmentalist Ms. Pheroza Godrej and one of India’s most
respected wildlife photographers, Mr. Sunjoy Monga, who lent wholehearted support to this
project and shared their frank insights, deserve our special thanks.
We would like to thank Mr. Adesh Shivkar, Mr. Vijay Awasare and Mr. Nelson Rodrigues,
for lending their research data on the park’s birds, reptiles and amphibians and butterflies
respectively.
We are grateful to Dr. Santosh Tungare, environmental scientist, for providing his expert opinion
on key recommendations and future vision for the MNP’s transformation into a world-class
.........
188 Acknowledgments Ideas and Action for a Better India
nature reserve made by this report. His expert inputs have lent the recommendations and future
vision the due strength and credibility.
ORF Mumbai would like to acknowledge the contribution of Mr. Shekhar Patil and Mr. Anil Patil
who have been greatly responsible for giving shape to the ORF Mumbai’s vision for MNP. They
constructed the detailed miniature model of the transformed MNP, giving a visual form to ORF
Mumbai’s vision.
The absolutely stunning cover and the entire document have been designed by Mr. Rahil Shaikh
Miya. He is a man of multiple talents and his creative and visualisation skills have been used
by several national and international companies and organisations. ORF Mumbai would like to
thank him for this visual delight.
The translation of this report into Marathi was done by Mr. Santosh Shintre's 'Greycells' (Pune),
and by Mr. Madhav Ponkshe of SM Graphics (Mumbai)
Mr. Rammohan Khanapurkar and Dr. Sumedh, both Research Fellows at Observer Research
Foundation Mumbai, played an instrumental role in the translation of the English report to
Marathi.
The brilliantly shot short video and the 16-minute documentary is the handiwork of Director
Sohail Jaffery, Cinematographer Vishveshwar SV and Producer Akshay Bapat of Wiseguy
Entertainment. Working with them and the entire Wiseguy Entertainment team has been
thoroughly enjoyable experience. A big thank you to all of them.
The credit for the thoughtfully designed and user-friendly website goes to Mr. Nitin Virkar and
Ms. Gauri Barve of Therefore Design.
.........
Acknowledgments 189
It will be amiss not to acknowledge the contribution of the team of interns – Ms. Prithvi Hirani,
Ms. Tiffany Chan, Ms. Radhika Suchday and Ms. Aviva Alvares – to the initial field work and
data gathering for this report. Each representing diverse academic backgrounds, the young
foursome interned with ORF Mumbai for varying intervals in 2011. Prithvi was in between her
undergraduate studies in History with Economics at the University of York and pursuing her
Masters in International Relations from University of Warwick. Tiffany was majoring in Psychology
and Economics from the Wellesley College. Aviva was pursuing her undergraduate studies in
Environmental Management at the University of Leeds, while Radhika had just finished her
B.A. from Jai Hind College, Mumbai. Their work primarily entailed field visits to the park
and the neighbouring slums, interviewing the park authorities and gathering primary and
secondary data.
.........
190 References Ideas and Action for a Better India
24
References
Breathing Space: A Fact File of 600 Reserved Open Spaces in Greater Mumbai, Citispace,
June 2010
Mumbai drowns in own filth – Only 40% have sewer access: The Indian Express, 8th
August 2005
Audit of Public Open Spaces in Mumbai: Pankaj Joshi, Urban Design Research Institute,
November 2007
People Places: Design Guidelines for Urban Open Space, Clare Coopper Marcus, Carolyn
Francis, Project for Public Spaces (PPS), 2nd Revised Edition, 1998.
Last Child in the Woods: Louv, Richard, Chapel Hill: Algonquin, 2006.
Evaluating the benefits of urban green space - progressing the research agenda:
Dr Anna Jorgensen Department of Landscape, University of Sheffield.
List of protected areas in Maharashtra: Gazateer of India, Maharasthra State, History of

Bombay, Modern Period 1987
.........
References 191
MNPS Memorandum of Articles and Rules, 1992
A Massive Park, Fed Entirely by Rain Water: Hindustan Times, Sai Raje, 5th June 2010
Maharashtra Nature Park, Back to Nature: Sunjoy Monga, Mumbai, 2005.
Provisional data of Census 2011
Essel World website: http://esselworld.in/entry_rates.html, http://esselworld.in/about_

us.html
Set for a makeover, Mahim Nature Park invites ideas from public: The Indian
Express, 12th August 2009
www.internetworldstats.com
www.nparks.gov.sg
www.thehighline.org/
www.mangroves.godrej.com
Spiders of Maharashtra Nature Park: Maharashtra Nature Park
Reptiles and Amphibians of Maharashtra Nature Park: Vijay Awasare
Butterflies of Maharashtra Nature Park: Nelson Rodrigues
Rediscovering Dharavi: Kalpana Sharma

.........
192 About the Authors Ideas and Action for a Better India
25
About the Authors
D evashree Sharma comes from a varied background

of finance, communications and
conservation. She is a commerce graduate from Sydenham
wildlife
College Mumbai and has done her post-graduation from

the Xavier Institute of Communications, Mumbai in Public
Relations and Corporate Communications. She has been
recognised as a Young Global Shaper by the World
Economic Forum. She has been invited by MASHAV —
Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation
a in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a course on Renewable
r e e Sharm bai
sh F Mum Energy as a Catalyst for Regional Development at the
Deva w , O R
llo
rch Fe Arava Centre for Sustainable Development at the Arava
Resea
Institute for Environmental Studies, Israel.
After completing her education, Devashree worked with

Vaishnavi Corporate Communications where she worked on clients from the IT industry. Post
Vaishnavi she worked with J.P. Morgan Asset management in the Marketing and Communications
department. She had also been freelance writing for magazines and websites. Subsequently,
she joined the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS). At the BNHS Devashree worked in
.........
the publications department where she was involved in editing, designing and printing of the
nature/ wildlife magazine Hornbill.
Devashree has been a research fellow at the Observer Research Foundation since 2010.
She has been working on a research study on the encroachments in Sanjay Gandhi National
Park. She has also organised a six-part speaker series titled “Future of the Urban Poor”.
The series aimed at advancing knowledge sharing on urban issues that impact the poor. The
series brought together key stakeholders, experts and practitioners from India and Pakistan
working on innovative development initiatives in the urban context to inspire new ideas and
work towards action.
Her research interests include renewable energy, forests and wildlife, skill development and
urban renewal.
.........
G autam has been a part of ORF Mumbai since

March 2010. He has authored the ORF report
titled ‘Making the Sewer a River Again – Why
Mumbai must reclaim its Mithi’ of which this
report is an extension. He is a graduate in Life Sciences
and a postgraduate in Environmental Sciences from the
University of Mumbai.
Gautam began his career at the All India Institute of Local

Self Government (AIILSG), Mumbai, where he was a part
tane
a u t a m Kir F Mum
bai of the Solid Waste Management Cell of the Government
G , O R
llow
rch Fe of Maharashtra. He helped create plans for collection,
Resea
transportation and disposal of municipal solid waste in
the cities of Kharghar, Kalamboli, Kamothe, Dronagiri,
Urve and New Panvel. He has been invited to judge
the prestigious 'Sant Gadge Baba Swachatta Abhiyan', a competition for water supply and
sanitation among all cities in Maharashtra state.
He was subsequently deputed to work in Yokohama, Japan with CITYNET- a network of cities
and NGOs in the Asia-Pacific region-where he facilitated knowledge and technology transfer
between several CITYNET members. Returning home, he worked with the prestigious Mumbai
Transformation Project where he was entrusted with monitoring the progress of all the projects
being executed by various agencies as well as planning of review meetings for the same.
In 2007, Gautam moved into the corporate world at Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. working with
their Infrastructure Development Sector and their newly-formed Corporate Sustainability Cell.
Here he made a significant contribution working on the successful release of the group's first
.........
Corporate Sustainability Report in 2008. At Mahindra, Gautam helped setup a Masons' Training
Academy in Patan, Gujarat. In addition, he worked on the economic viability of Mahindra's Solid
Waste Management Plant in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh. He also contributed to the development
and monitoring of resettlement and rehabilitation packages for a proposed SEZ in Maharashtra.
In 2009, Gautam joined a large project funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and
anchored by AIILSG in Maharashtra for the development of Performance Assessment Systems,
related to Water Supply, Sanitation and Solid Waste Management for all cities in Maharashtra.
He played a key role in the designing of data collection formats, the process of data collection,
collation, verification and presentation of the data collected for 250 cities.
After completing the first phase of the project, Gautam joined the ORF Mumbai where he has
since worked as a research fellow.
.........
D haval D. Desai started his career in Mumbai as

a journalist, spending 14 years with both print
and electronic media. He worked with The Daily and The
Indian Express before switching over to television news,
working in senior editorial positions in Zee News and
Sahara Samay.
He quit active journalism in 2006 as the Chief of Bureau

of Sahara Samay Mumbai. He later did a two-year stint
with Hanmer & Partners, a public relations consultancy,
ai where he was part of a World Bank consortium handling

a l D . Des mbai
Dha v
w , O RF Mu communications for a consultant appointed by the
llo
rch Fe
Resea Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai to study and
recommend ways to improve the city's water distribution.
At Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, he works

as Research Fellow and Programme Coordinator, and is involved with media relations and
outreach.
.........
R iddhi Jaydeo Chokhawala is a Research Fellow and

Creative Communications Expert at ORF Mumbai
since July 2010. She has co-authored the ORF Mumbai
report on the Mithi River, ‘Making the Sewer…A River
Again-Why Mumbai must reclaim its Mithi’ and
made a documentary film for the same, along with fellow
researchers Gautam Kirtane and Dhaval Desai. She has also
made a documentary film on ‘Farming - The Gandhian
Way, A Tribute to the Legendary Guru of Natural
Farming Shri Bhasker Save’ with fellow researcher
Chok hawala Maulik Mavani. As part of its advocacy in the area of

Riddhi , O R F Mumb
ai
o w Public Health, ORF Mumbai has worked with the MCGM
h Fell
Researc
in creating a mass-awareness anti-malaria campaign titled,
‘Mumbai Against Malaria – Fight the Bite’. Riddhi
designed the hoardings, bus-shelter displays, posters and
cinema slides along with awareness booklets in multiple languages, which are distributed
across hospitals and slums as a part of the campaign.
Riddhi completed her Bachelors in Architecture (B.Arch) from Mumbai University (2005)
where she was nominated for the Charles Correa Gold Medal for Best Thesis in Mumbai for her
thesis on 'Sports and Recreation Complex at Seawoods, Navi Mumbai'. Thereafter, she secured
her Master’s degree in Design (M.Des) from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (2007)
writing her thesis on 'Virtual set design for Jodhaa Akbar'.
Prior to coming to ORF Mumbai, Riddhi worked at Honeywell Technology Solutions Ltd,
Bangalore, in 2008, on various infrastructural and technology development projects such as the
.........
Remote Infrastructure Management (RIM) and E-waste management making various scenario-
building short films and animations.
From 2006-2008, she worked with Tata Elxsi Visual Computing Labs, Mumbai, on the pre-
production and post-production of various commercial films such as ‘One Night with the King’
(2006), ‘Jodhaa Akbar’ (2008) and a National Geographic Documentary on the Deluge of 26
July 2005 in Mumbai.
As an architect, she worked with Architect Kamal Singh Malik and Associates in 2005 on
various architectural projects such as the Ishanya Mall in Yerwada, Pune, and the Guru Nanak
Hospital Extension in Bandra, Mumbai.
At present she is working with fellow researchers Shilpa Rao and Sharmeen Contractor on
a report titled ‘Realty Check – Slum Rehabilitation in Mumbai’. This report critically
analyses the slum rehabilitation scheme as it is currently being undertaken in the city of Mumbai.
.........
About Observer Research Foundation Mumbai 199
About Observer Research Foundation Mumbai
O bserver Research Foundation is a multidisciplinary public policy think tank started in Delhi
in 1990 by the late Mr. R. K. Mishra, a widely respected public figure, who envisaged it
to be a broad-based intellectual platform pulsating with ideas for nation-building. In its journey
of over twenty years, ORF has brought together leading Indian policymakers, academics, public
figures, social activists and business leaders to discuss many issues of national importance.
ORF scholars have made significant contributions towards improving government policies, and
have produced a large body of critically acclaimed publications.
ORF Mumbai was established in September 2004 to study issues specific to India's financial
capital. In January 2010, under the chairmanship of Mr. Sudheendra Kulkarni, ORF Mumbai
selected a broader mandate for itself of six diverse areas including Education, Public Health,
Urban Renewal, Inclusive and Sustainable Development, Youth Development and Promotion
and Preservation of India’s Heritage, Arts and Culture. In June 2010 the ‘Centre for the Study
of Maharashtra @ 50’ was inaugurated to commemorate the 50th anniversary year of the
state. ORF Mumbai's Centre for the Study of Indian Knowledge Traditions, inaugurated in May
2010, is working towards reviving the use of relevant Indian knowledge traditions in a modern
context. ORF Mumbai’s mission statement is: Ideas and Actions for a Better India.
.........
200 About Observer Research Foundation Mumbai Ideas and Action for a Better India
Some of the recent research reports produced by ORF Mumbai include:

«
‘Time is Running Out’: Does Mumbai have Enough Water?
«
‘Moving People Not Cars’: Why Mumbai needs a Bus Rapid Transport System(BRTS)
«
‘Making the Sewer a River Again’: Why Mumbai must reclaim its Mithi
«
‘ICT in Education’: Promotion of inclusive access to quality education in India through
ICT
«
‘Affordable Housing for Mumbai’s Poor’: Possible!
«
’Comments and Recommendations on the draft NCHER Bill (2010)’: A much needed
reform that fails the test
«
‘A matter of Human Dignity’: Sanitation on Mumbai’s Suburban Railways
A selection of the recent Roundtable discussions and other events are:

«
Panel Discussion and book release: ‘The Caliphate’s Soldiers - The Lashkar e-Tayyeba’s
Long War’ authored by ORF Senior Fellow, Wilson John.
«
Joint Roundtable with Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai on ‘A Vision for
Mumbai’s Healthcare needs’
«
Six part speaker series on ‘The Future of the Urban Poor’ in collaboration with Intellecap
and the Rockefeller Foundation
«
Roundtable on Fostering a Spirit of Research and Innovation in Academic Institutions,
with Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, Dr. Ada Yonath
«
A lecture series by eminent scientists titled ‘Gurus of Science’. Lectures have been
delivered by Nobel Laureate scientists Dr. Jean Marie Lehn and Dr. Harold Kroto. Other
speakers included Dr. R. A.Mashelkar, Dr. Spenta R. Wadia and Dr. Syed Maqbool
Ahmed
.........
About ORF Mumbai Activities 201
About ORF Mumbai's Activities
O RF Mumbai has engaged in critical issues of public relevance in its core research areas.
Our research approach includes participatory methods for stakeholder consultations.
ORF Mumbai has published a series of reports and conducted advocacy on issues that touch
the life of an average citizen.
Some of its reports in the area of Urban Renewal include: A Matter of Human Dignity:
Sanitation on Mumbai’s Suburban Railways, Mumbai’s Second Airport: It’s time
to Think BIG, Moving People: Why Mumbai Needs BRTS, Time is Running Out:
Does Mumbai Have Enough Water, a preliminary report on Affordable Housing in
Mumbai, a report and documentary film on the Mithi River titled Making The Sewer… A
River Again: Why Mumbai must Reclaim its Mithi.
Some of its forthcoming reports in the area of Urban Renewal include a critical inquiry into the
Slum Rehabilitation Authority and recommendations on reducing Fatalities on
Mumbai’s Suburban Railway and a study on preserving and promoting the Sanjay
Gandhi National Park at Borivali.
ORF Mumbai has also taken up a study to leverage Mumbai’s diverse cultural industries to
recreate and regain its image as a truly international city. In the area of Education, ORF Mumbai
has published its recommendations on the Draft National Commission for Higher Education
.........
202 About ORF Mumbai Activities Ideas and Action for a Better India
and Research (NCHER) Bill 2010 in a report titled A Much Needed Reform that Fails The
Test, and a report on Promotion of Inclusive Access to Quality Education in India
through Induction of ICT: Tackling the Scale Problem, which presents a model for the
induction of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into educational institutions in
India on a massive scale. Its forthcoming reports include a study on the urgent need for broad-
based Reforms in Medical Education.
Another key report, Masked Identities: Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage,

in the area of Promotion of India’s Artistic and Cultural Heritage, is a study on the preservation
and promotion of the country’s vast, but greatly endangered, treasures of India’s oral traditions,
performing arts, social practices, heritage and traditional craftsmanship. Another ORF Mumbai’s
intervention is in the field of traditional and indigenous Skill Development of Nomadic
Tribes of Maharashtra.
.........
ORF Mumbai's Publications 203
.........
204 ORF Mumbai's Forthcoming Publications OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION MUMBAI

Mumbai&#39;s Secret - Story of Maharashtra Nature Park

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OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION MUMBAI

Ideas and Action for a Better India

Devashree Sharma | Gautam Kirtane | Dhaval Desai | Riddhi Chokhawala

OBSERVER RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Copyright © Observer Research Foundation Mumbai, 2013.

All rights reserved.

Design: Rahil Shaikh Miya

Printing: Sharda Printers, Mumbai

Objectives of the Report 17

Case Studies 140

Annexure 1: Interview with Shanta Chatterji - Former Chairperson,

Annexure 2: Interview with Sunjoy Monga - Wildlife Photographer 152

Annexure 3: List of MNP's Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians,

Annexure 4: Existing MNPS Board of Governors and Staff Profile 170

Annexure 6: Impact Prediction of proposed Mangrove Nature Park by

Pictures of the model showing proposed transformation of MNP 182

Afterword and Long-Term Vision 185

About the Authors 192

PPP – Public–Private Partnership

Figure 1.1 Yearly visits to MNP (1994-2000)

Figure 1.2 Group and individual visitors to MNP (1994-2011)

Figure 1.3 Month-wise visitors to MNP

Figure 1.4 MNPS' Board of Governors

Figure 1.5 MNP’s current management structure

Figure 1.6 MNPS' recommended structure of Board of Governors

Figure 1.7 Proposed management structure of MNP

Table 2.1 Parameters to make MNP ecologically, socially and

Table 2.2 Stakeholders and material issues

Table 2.3 Month-wise visitors to MNP

Table 2.4 MNP’s five-year comparative accounts statement

Table 2.5 Proposed new timings

Table 2.6 Expected footfalls in MNP

Table 2.7 List of birds of MNP

Table 2.8 List of amphibians and reptiles of MNP

Table 2.9 List of butterflies of MNP

Table 2.10 List of spiders of MNP

Table 2.11 Board of Governors of MNP

Table 2.12 Existing staff profile of MNP

Map 3.1 Stations and municipal wards neighbouring MNP

Map 3.2 Original seven islands and subsequent growth of Mumbai

Map 3.4 Location of MNP

Map 3.5 Location of Riwa Fort

Map 3.6 MNP's strategic location

Map 3.7 MNP's existing layout

Map 3.8 Unused 10 acres of MNP

Map 3.9 Mangroves surrounding MNP

Map 3.10 Mithi River

Map 3.11 Slums surrounding MNP

Map 3.12 Prem Nagar slum encroachment 2005-2010

Map 3.13 Bandra-Kurla Complex

Map 3.15 Consolidated Connectivity Map

Baronet Butterfly, Euthalia nais

M NP, a tranquil getaway amidst the city’s bustling life,

M umbai attracts and repels with equal force. As

In May 2011, ORF Mumbai published a first-of-its-kind research-based report, accompanied

We have a special appeal to make to the rapidly growing community of

M umbai lacks green and open spaces. Maharashtra Nature

I commend the Observer Research Foundation Mumbai for

I ntensive brain storming and strenuous leg-work transpired

Maharashtra Nature Park is undoubtedly a dream come

Bird-dropping Moth Acontia graellsii

Lush greenery of MNP.

In May 2011, ORF Mumbai

boundary, act as green lungs

Mumbai's Secret - Story of Maharashtra Nature Park

Mumbai's Secret - Story of Maharashtra Nature Park