MUMBAI : The Bombay high court committee on Monday directed a panel to inspect four
Metro stations
on Wednesday and submit a report of the issues seen on ground, after Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) which is executing the Mumbai Metro III underground metro project informed that there was no place left at station sites to plant trees to restore 100 percent tree cover that was removed there.
The MMRCL lawyer at the hearing submitted that due to paucity of space at metro stations it may be possible to restore about 50 percent of the trees.
MMRCL lawyer Omprakash Jha said their tree plantation plans are not yet final and they will endeavour to replace the maximum number of trees possible.
The panel also sought that Mumbai Metro 3 make their Tree GeoTag data e-accessible. The HC committee comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sarang Kotwal at a special meeting on Monday that went on till late night also directed another special sub committee to verify the status of 600-odd transplanted trees from Aarey, which tree activists pointed out have “disappeared.’’
The meeting was convened with all parties and lawyers in public interest litigation (PIL) of 2017 over trees affected by the Mumbai Metro III project.
There were two petitions, one by Pervin Jehangir and others and the other by Nina Verma versus the Tree Officer at BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Verma was present at the hearing as was her representative Zoru Bhathena and advocates including Kunal Birwadkar and others.
Tree activist Bhathena said, “after years of fighting for the restoration of tree cover, we are extremely upset with MMRCL's stand that they cannot restore more than 50%.'' The MMRCL is obliged under the terms of an undertaking to restore the tree cover that had to be removed for the project, once the project is ready.
The HC committee warned of sending the matter back to the court if there is a blatant breach of the undertaking.
At the last meeting in October the HC panel had asked MMRCL to submit their plan for replanting trees in the station areas for the Mumbai Metro III underground rail project and geotag reports of all the thousands of compensatory trees claimed to have been planted in other areas of Mumbai.
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