The Bombay High Court has pulled up the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd. (MahaTransco) over its proposal to cut 847 mangrove trees for a power transmission line linked to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train project, raising serious concerns about the environmental impact of the move.
During the hearing, the court questioned the practice of carrying out compensatory afforestation in districts located far from the affected site. The bench observed that planting trees hundreds of kilometres away cannot adequately compensate for the loss of mangroves in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, where they play a vital role in protecting the coastal ecosystem.
Expressing concern over the city's environmental future, the court remarked that if mangrove destruction continues unchecked, the day may come when Mumbai residents will have to carry oxygen cylinders. The judges stressed the need to preserve mangroves, describing them as essential to maintaining ecological balance.
While clarifying that it was not opposed to the bullet train project, the court said infrastructure development should not come at the cost of environmental protection. It directed the authorities to explore the possibility of undertaking compensatory afforestation on degraded forest land closer to the project site and, wherever possible, complete plantation before tree felling begins.
The High Court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 20, with the state government expected to submit its response on identifying suitable land for compensatory afforestation near the project area.
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