The Bombay High Court has asked the National High Speed Rail Corporation (NHSRCL) to provide responses to the objections raised by NGO Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) regarding the felling of mangrove trees for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
The court has said that the NGO should be made a party to the case and file objections in the form of an affidavit as a response to the plea by NHSRCL to cut the trees on the bullet train project’s path.
The original plea by NHSRCL was heard by a division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish S Kulkarni. In this plea, the NHSRCL was looking to reduce the number of trees to be cut for the project after directives by the central and state environment ministries as well as other authorities.
Appearing before the court on February 23, advocates representing NHSRCL, Pralhad Paranjape and Manish Kelkar informed that the number of mangrove trees to be cut for the project have been reduced by more than 50%, coming down from 53,467 trees to 21,997 trees. The NHSRCL also promised the court that it would plant more than five times the number of mangrove trees felled for this project.
Also read - Bombay High Court Allows Felling Of Trees For Versova–Bandra Sea Link
The plea by NHSRCL went on to say that the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest had requested the shifting of Virar and Thane stations included in the project as they were situated close to nearby mangroves.
Keeping this in mind, the NHSRCL has reportedly changed the alignment of these stations while also acquiring requisite permissions from all relevant authorities.
The objection by the NGO stated that the NHSRCL should not use explosives for the construction in prohibited areas and requested the court to not grant permissions for such activity.
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The NGO was represented by advocate Sheetal Shah who went on to say that no study or survey was conducted to ascertain the survival rate of the plants/saplings that are to be replaced by the NHSRCL. Shah added that the Environmental Impact Assessment report for the tree felling hasn’t been provided yet.
The Bombay High Court has asked the NGO to submit objections in the form of an affidavit reply by Thursday, while the NHSRCL has been asked to respond to the affidavit by Friday.
Also read - Study Shows Maharashtra’s Mangrove Cover Increased By 16 Per Cent Over A 14-Year Period
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