Mumbai: Two days after Borivali MLA Sanjay Upadhyay announced that the city’s first dedicated mangrove park at Gorai would be inaugurated by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on May 28, the launch was postponed on Friday till further notice, triggering criticism among environmentalists and residents.Mangrove park opening delayed once againSpeaking to Hindustan Times, Upadhyay said the launch had been postponed as important foundational and structural work was still pending; the “world-class” park could not be opened in a rush, he said.But forest officials strongly disputed the claim, saying the project was already complete.“The delay is due to a change in the dignitaries’ plans,” a senior forest official said, requesting anonymity.The Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Mangrove Park, spread across eight hectares in Gorai, was envisioned as a flagship eco-tourism and environmental education project showcasing Mumbai’s fragile coastal ecosystem through elevated boardwalks, birdwatching facilities and interpretation centres.The park was announced in 2021, scheduled to open in 2023, but beset with delays and missed deadlines. Forest department sources said work on the park was completed last year, but an inauguration date was not announced due to unavailability of top leaders, till BJP MLA Sanjay Upadhyay declared it would be opened on May 28.Environmentalist Milli Shetty said she had been eagerly waiting for the park to open and had planned to take school students there before the summer holidays ended.“I was very happy when the inauguration was announced. Now we will have to wait longer again,” she rued.Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray, who had pushed for the project while he was the environment minister, said state forest minister Ganesh Naik had assured him on the floor of the legislature that the park would be opened immediately after the budget session.“The repeated delays show they do not want Mumbaikars to know about mangroves. I have written to Naik every few months,” Thackeray said.Regarding reasons for the postponement, Upadhyay claimed that some foundational and structural work was still pending at the park.“I had inspected the site earlier on May 9 and directed officials to complete the remaining work within five days, but there has been little progress even after more than 10 days,” he said. “This is a world-class park. We cannot open it in a rushed manner. Even if it takes time, we will ensure it opens properly.”The MLA also posted Thursday’s letter from the forest department to the contractor Omkar Engineering and contractor , urging them to expedite their work, which suggested that work was still pending when Upadhyay inspected it on Wednesday, and told them they would be responsible if the pending work won’t get completed on time. The park would open in the first week of June, he told HT.Forest department officials, however, strongly disputed the claim, saying the project had already been completed.“Only minor ancillary work remains, which could have been completed before the proposed inauguration date. The delay is due to a change in the dignitaries’ plans,” said the forest official.