Observing that the environment cannot be massacred in the name of development, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRCL) to prove it did not damage a children’s park while executing its Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro project.
A Bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice G.S. Kulkarni gave the order while hearing pleas of the residents of Churchgate and Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai challenging the proposed felling of over 5,000 trees to execute the project. The High Court had earlier directed the MMRCL not to cut any trees till further orders.
Advocates Iqbal Chagla and Janak Dwarkadas, the counsel for the petitioners, told the court that MMRCL’s digging work had destroyed a children’s park in Cuffe Parade despite the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) refusing permission to carry out work in the area as it falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
Advocate Kiran Bagaria, appearing for the MMRCL, said the park had not been damaged and no work was being carried out in the park as part of the project.
‘Substantiate claims’
The court said the MMRCL will have to submit all documents, including its proposals and resolution of meetings, to substantiate its claim. “Submit all relevant documents before us. Just saying you [MMRCL] have not done anything wrong on affidavit is not enough. We want to see all relevant documents. No details are forthcoming in the affidavit regarding meetings held by MMRCL pertaining to CRZ obstacles,” the court said.
“We understand that the Metro project is of utmost importance as it will ease the common man’s woes but you [MMRCL] cannot massacre the environment in the name of development. There should not be callousness and recklessness in damaging something that cannot be restored,” Chief Justice Chellur said.
The court has directed MMRDA and MMRCL to submit all the documents on April 24 when it will hear the petition. The Line III project is a part of the Metro system which will connect Cuffe Parade business district to SEEPZ.
