Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Thursday sought to know from the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoEF) if environmental clearance was given to nine stations in the phase III of Metro (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz).
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice G.S. Kulkarni was hearing a petition filed by residents of Churchgate, Hutatma Chowk and Cuffe Parade.
The main grievance is cutting of age-old trees without applying mind to replanting or saving them.
An affidavit with photographs had been placed before the court indicating details of the trees proposed to be cut for line no 3.
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for petitioner Nina Deepak Verma, said the tree officers are not applying the norms to be taken before granting permission for cutting a tree.
In the previous hearing, the court had asked the Mumbai Metro Corporation to produce documents to show environmental clearance from the Union government for construction of metro stations in the phase III.
The advocate appearing for the Mumbai Metro told the court that since the Bench had stayed cutting of around 5,000 trees, the corporation is incurring heavy losses.
To this the court said, issues of environment cannot be taken lightly.
The court on Thursday directed the MoEF to file an affidavit and adjourned the matter to March 30.
