In recent times, citizen journalism has carved a niche for itself, highlighting problems and prompting solutions. The Prakash Kardale Memorial Award for Citizen Journalism has been given to Mumbai Mirror’s Chaitanya Marpakwar for his comprehensive report on the citizen-led Save Aarey movement, an initiative against the hacking of 3,000 trees to build a metro shed in Mumbai’s Aarey forest.
Award, instituted in memory of Indian ExpressPrakash Kardale, a former resident editor in Pune, honors a print journalist whose relentless efforts uncover a civic issue and force the authorities to find a solution.
Marpakwar’s story shows how the government ignored an environmental assessment report, which warned that converting forest land in Aarey could flood the Mumbai International Airport in the event of heavy rains.
The story tracks the development from 2019 when the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved a proposal to cut trees for the assembly elections.
Marpakwar’s investigation revealed that a 1,000-page environmental impact assessment report was given to members of the BMC’s tree authority 48 hours before the meeting, leaving them with no time to study it in detail. His story also highlighted objections raised by civic departments such as the storm water drainage department.
“The biggest challenge while reporting was to get access to the environmental impact assessment report. It was difficult to get and work out the facts without any exaggeration or sugar coating. There were about 1,500 pages of documents about this car shed in Aarey. And they had a history of 10 years, ”says Marpakvar.
The first thing the newly-elected government did in December 2019, two months after the story came out, was to halt the construction of the car shed and move it to another location.
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