Metro 3: Bombay HC vacates stay on tree felling, petitioners to move apex court

Jehangir, along with other citizen activists, has been protesting against the loss of the green cover for the construction of the underground Metro.

“We want to put forth to the apex court that both the trees and the Metro can coexist and so many trees need not be cut. Also, since so many projects of this scale are coming up in the country, we want there to be a custodian for the trees. In Mumbai itself, there are three bodies that decide the fate of these trees — Ministry of Environment and Forests, BMC’s tree authority and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA),” said Ruchir Bansali, a South Mumbai resident.

The Bombay High Court has given them 10 days before the stay order vacates. Once it is vacated on May 15, the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) will have to race against time to complete pending work before the monsoon begins.

“We have to give an undertaking to the court that we will strike a balance between our development activities and the environment. Our priority will be to complete all necessary work before the monsoon begins,” said a senior MMRC official.

Referring to the delays caused due to the over three-month stay, another official said: “Though it was not in a logical sequence, we continued to work during this period. We will have to push the contractor to work overtime to make up for the delays. Fortunately, the delays were caused at the beginning of the project and there is still scope to make up.”