MUMBAI, Oct. 19 -- With the extended deadline to submit suggestions and objections to the BMC's draft zonal master plan (ZMP) for Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) ending on October 17, the various stakeholders are now awaiting the dates of the public hearing. The BMC would soon start collating the objections received through different channels and then decide on a date for the public hearing, after Diwali, an official said. Among the many who submitted suggestions and objections was the Urban Centre Mumbai led by conservation architect and urban planner Pankaj Joshi. "We strongly object to the fact that the draft masterplan identifies and virtually justifies industrial, commercial, residential, and several other uses within eco-sensitive zone boundaries by proposing to regulate them." While the primary objective of developing the ZMP, according to the 2016 notification, was to safeguard the ecology of the forest, those raising concerns allege that the demarcation of the eco-sensitive zones and allowing various different activities in the park has defeated the purpose. "Furthermore, the ZMP classifies land as 'developed' and 'undeveloped' areas within the ESZ, which suggests that only 10.42% of the ESZ area is developed land. We object to the usage of these words in terms of ESZ of SGNP," added Joshi. The urban planner said that the ZMP was proposed to be created to safeguard the urban forest but had only opened up more land for development. "According to a study done by a New Jersey institution, the city will be submerged under water by 2080. Only SGNP, along with a couple of other pockets such as Malabar Hill, will remain above the water level," he said. "So considering its ecological importance even in terms of climate change, it should be retained as a forest area." Other have also voiced their concerns. "The draft plan has loosely used terms such as "general businesses" to be allowed in ESZ 2. These businesses need to be specified," said Amrita Bhattacharjee, an environmental activist. The plan has also failed to identify and mark the tribals in the forests while showing a 75-acre plot in Marol Maroshi as the rehabilitation point. "The tribals from the village wanted to raise their objections; however, the unavailability of the plan in Marathi is a hurdle," said Dinesh Habale, member of the Tribals Rights Committee. Municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani confirmed there were no plans to release it in Marathi....