The court asked Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to ensure that officers are cautious and take due care, and asked the citizens to approach the committee.
The Bombay High Court has constituted a committee to look into the grievances of citizens who have raised an alarm over cutting of trees by the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) for the Metro line-3 project.
A division bench of Chief Justice Manjulla Chellur and Justice NM Jamdar said three days back the committee comprising of two sitting Justice—BR Gavai and SS Kemkar have been appointed.
The court asked Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to ensure that officers are cautious and take due care, and asked the citizens to approach the committee.
The court made this observation while hearing a petition filed by Churchgate resident Nina Verma, claiming that the trees were being illegally cut for construction of stations for the Metro 3 line.
The High Court had in its order passed earlier said "The approach we intend to adopt is to bring about a balance in the protection of environment and the development in question so that a situation of prosperity on both counts can be achieved. If a harsh stand as canvassed by petitioner is accepted, then it would be impossible to have any development for the betterment of citizens residing in metropolitan city. "
The court has appointed Maharashtra State Legal Services Authority and Deputy Registrar to oversee the compliance of re-plantation; transplantation of trees. Compliance reports have to be submitted monthly to a committee of two judges. Over 5,000 trees are proposed to be cut in various areas of south Mumbai to pave way for the execution of Colaba- Bandra-SEEPZ line III project.
The court had allowed MMRCL to cut the trees on an undertaking by the corporation that for each tree it would cut in south Mumbai, another one would be planted at the same spot after the construction work is over. This would be in addition to the three saplings that the authority would plant in suburban Mumbai for every tree they cut.
The 33-kilometer line III project is a part of the Metro system which will connect the Cuffe Parade business district in south Mumbai to SEEPZ in the city's north-central suburb.
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