Bombay HC will hear environmental experts on cutting mangroves for Bullet Train project.

By Abhay Harish Shah, Realty Quarter

On June 12 Bombay High Court stated that before finalising on a plea seeking hacking of mangroves to pave way for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project, it needs to understand environmental expert’s point of view.

A request by the National National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) for authority to cut mangroves spread over 13 hectares of area was heard by the division’s Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice N M Jamdar.

In March this year, the Coastal Zone Management Authority of Maharashtra informed the court that it nodded over 53,000 mangrove trees to be cut for this project. In April this year, the NHSRCL announced that the expert appraisal committee for the extraction of mangroves from Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar district had been approved by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests.

However, On Wednesday the bench observed that it would have to hear the arguments of the environmental experts before giving permission for its nod.

“What will the effect on the atmosphere be, if such permits are given for each government project?” Chief Justice Nandrajog said.

The Bench recommended that a party respondent be provided to NGO Bombay Environment Action Group in the issue and published them at an August meeting.

It is anticipated that the 508-km high-speed train route will reduce journey time around six and a half hours to two and a half hours.