The Bombay High Court on Wednesday asked the State government if the dispute-free, 41-hectare plot at Kanjurmarg can be used for the Metro 3 car shed instead of land in Aarey colony.
While hearing petitions related to Aarey colony for the third consecutive day, a Division Bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Bharati Dangre sought information on the Kanjurmarg plot and asked for the case papers pertaining to it.
One of the main pleas before the court is filed by local resident Zoru Bhathena, challenging a resolution passed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Tree Authority on August 29 to remove 2,646 trees at Aarey for the Metro car shed.
In the day-long hearing, the court discussed the report of the technical committee that was formed to look for alternatives to the Aarey land, which had said that the car shed be built at Kanjurmarg instead.
The government counsel told the court that the Metro needs to be built on pillars, which would be difficult at the Kanjurmarg site.
The petitioner, however, said the pillars are being built on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road.
The court said that in Delhi, one depot is 10 km away from one Metro line and the other is in the middle of another line.
In the last hearing, the Chief Justice said he would visit the site when the court is in vacation. The court had also directed the authorities not to cut any trees till September 30.
The Bench had previously said, “We need both environment and development. Hence, we need to contrast and compare the two. The world over scientists and ecologists are researching the issue of how to value environmental loss. Issues as critical as this are very difficult to decide. Cost of development can be measured in rupees, but destruction of environment cannot be.”
The hearing will continue on Thursday.
