Updated October 3rd, 2018 at 19:34 IST
MMRCL Told To File Affidavit On Felling Of Trees For Metro Car Shed
MMRCL has been asked to file an affidavit stating that it would only cut those trees in the Aarey Colony for which it has permission. It is the estimation of the petitioner that almost 400 or more full-grown trees are slated for chopping. MMRCL's act was reckless and was causing permanent damage to the environment.
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The Bombay High Court Wednesday directed Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to file an affidavit stating that it was cutting only those trees at the suburban Aarey Colony for which it has permission.
A division bench of acting Chief Justice N H Patil and Justice G S Kulkarni was hearing a petition filed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Preeti Menon and Ruben Mascarenhas against the MMRCL's 'indiscriminate' felling of trees inside the Aarey Colony to pave way for a metro car shed.
Advocate Kiran Bagaria, appearing for MMRCL, told the court that only those trees are being cut for which permissions have already been sought. "We will not cut any tree without taking prior permission from the concerned authorities," said Bagaria.
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The bench directed MMRCL to file an affidavit in two weeks stating so and also submit a schedule of work it plans to undertake in Aarey colony for construction of the Metro car shed. The court, however, refused to pass an order granting an interim relief to the petitioners by staying the cutting of trees pending hearing of the plea.
In the petition, Menon claimed that she learnt about trees being felled on the Aarey Marol Road on September 29. "It was seen that more than 100 huge trees were cut and many more were being surveyed. It is the estimation of the petitioner that almost 400 or more full-grown trees are slated for chopping," the petition said.
It claimed that MMRCL's act was reckless and was causing permanent damage to the environment. MMRCL has seen strong protests from the citizens for its decision to chop down close to 3000 trees in the Aarey colony. Aarey colony forested area is said to be the lungs of the city. It used to be spread over 3000 hectares of forested land. Due to uncontrolled industrialization and an indiscriminate number of trees cut down for urbanization, the forested area has been reduced down to just 1300 hectares.
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Published October 3rd, 2018 at 17:35 IST