Mumbai Metro re-greening drive botched up, SC lambasts Maharashtra govt

NEW DELHI: Supreme Court Monday took the Maharashtra govt to task for its poor execution and maintenance of compensatory afforestation sites as it had persuaded the court to permit several Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) projects and grant in principle approval to tunnelled Goregaon-Mulund road link as part of East-West Connectivity project. Finding that only 50% of the 20,460 trees planted under the compensatory afforestation plan for Mumbai Metro projects have survived, a bench of CJI B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran said, "If this is the status of implementation of the afforestation plan on ground, we will recall all previous permissions for felling trees to lay metro lines and stations." The deputy director of Sanjay Gandhi National Park informed the court most of the surviving plants are between one and 20 feet in height and others have perished as there is little protection and maintenance of the afforestation sites, most of which do not have required fertility with the soil being rocky in character. CJI Gavai said, "It is gross negligence by the state and its authorities. We had permitted felling of trees keeping in mind the principle of sustainable development by which the public interest is served through requisite infrastructure but causing minimal harm to existing tree cover. Your conduct shows otherwise. Is this the way afforestation plans are implemented?" SC, which had earlier given in principle approval for cutting trees at the entry and exit points of the tunnelled road, said the BMC application would be kept pending till the Maharashtra chief secretary files an affidavit on or before Nov 10 detailing the steps to be taken for effective implementation of compensatory afforestation plans, framed in lieu of development projects.

The bench asked the chief secretary to consult all stakeholders, including BMC and MMRCL and related bodies, while framing the guideline for implementation of afforestation plans in letter and spirit. "Unless we are satisfied with the plan, we will not allow any more projects requiring forest clearance," the bench said and warned the chief secretary that he would be held personally liable for future violations of the afforestation implementation guidelines.