BMC to resume work on Coastal Road project following Supreme Court order

Following the Supreme Court order, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is all set to start the piling work of the Coastal Road near Amarsons Garden which was halted from April 23 as Bombay High Court stayed the ongoing work following multiple PILs citing environment destruction from the project.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai had approached the Supreme Court against the HC ban claiming that it resulted in a loss of Rs 10 crore per day. The arterial road which involves the reclamation of coastal land is expected to decongest the choked roads of Mumbai by providing an alternate route to the Western Express Highway that connects Bandra to Dahisar. The project being constructed chiefly by L&T and HCC-HDC Joint Venture also approached the Court for lifting the ban.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta modified the HC order by permitting the agencies involved in the project work to continue with the works "already commenced" but not to undertake any fresh works. This order will remain in force till the HC decides finally on the PILs where the clearances granted for the project are being questioned for its huge impact on the environment and ecological balance.

The Court order came with a warning that the execution of the present works "will be at the risk of the contractors" as they will have to finally abide by what the HC decides. The Government is banking on the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance given to the project by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on May 11, 2017.

Activists alleged that civic body continued to carry out the work despite HC issuing a stop work order. Following that HC stayed all the coastal road gave a stay to all work on April 23. It is then that BMC approached the SC allowing it to continue with the ongoing works that have commenced.

Meanwhile, BMC has admitted restarting the work following the order.

"The Supreme Court has given permission to do work which was stopped after High Court order. We were doing reclamation work before the High Court's order. Now we will see what exactly the order say," said Mohan Machiwal, Chief Engineer, coastal road project. BMC has already started work near Amarson Garden.

As per official information from the BMC, the machinery of Coastal Road project moved at Priyadarshini Garden site and the work started.

"The BMC is now doing some pilling work. But the Supreme Court doesn't allow any fresh work which includes reclamation. If BMC does so, we will go to SC," said Zoru Bathena, an activist.

The Order

• SC modified the HC order by permitting the agencies involved in the project work to continue with the works already commenced” but not to undertake any fresh work
• This order will remain in force till the HC decides on the PILs where the clearances granted for the project are being questioned for its huge impact on the environment