Despite order, SoBo locals allege Metro-3 work underway at night

The Bombay High Court on Friday asked the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) to file a reply by next week on an application highlighting complaints of noise pollution during night time, lodged with various authorities, by citizens from Churchgate and Cuffe Parade areas. The complaints claim that Metro work is being carried out at night despite an HC order that had banned Metro-3 work from 10 pm to 6 am.

Letters written to MMRCL and police by residents of building Jupiter, at Cuffe Parade, emails sent by one Shavak Kapadia, Pervin Jehangir and Sharon Pereira, placing on record construction work going on during night time, have been attached to a plea filed by Robin Jaisinghani.

The petitioner stated that the work is being carried out in violation of the August 11 order, which banned any construction or ancillary work to be carried out in between 10 pm to 6 am. The plea has annexed letters, dated September 27, written to the Marine Drive police station by Nina Verma and Ashwin Nagpal, residents of Churchgate. The letter mentions that work is going on past 11.30 pm and she had personally gone to the construction site to stop work. However, the work continued, so she called the Police Control room, following which the work stopped post midnight.

In an earlier petition, Jaisinghani alleged that the authority is not following noise pollution control rules. He had also asked MMRCL to compensate him by paying Rs 10,000 per day.