Mumbai, May 23 -- 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. Speaking 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 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 a launch date was not announced due to unavailability of top leaders, till the BJP MLA 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. Regarding reasons for the postponement, Upadhyay said, "I had inspected the site 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." 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....