Stay on axing trees for metro extended

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Friday extended its interim stay on cutting of 5,000 trees to make way for Seepz-Colaba Metro line project for another two weeks. The court said that it wants to examine whether it would cause a huge loss or would be just a small obstacle.

The division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Girish Kulkarni is hearing a petition filed by the residents of Churchgate in south Mumbai against the cutting of over 5,000 trees to pave the way for the metro line. The high court said that if the trees were “massacred and the environment is destroyed, then we will have to look for another planet.” The bench added, “We are destroying ourselves. What we are today is because of our own actions.”

The HC is hearing two petitions — one filed by Pervin Jehangir (65) challenging the legality of the metro construction, and another by Nina Verma (76) against the cutting of trees in the areas of Churchgate, Hutatma Chowk and Cuffe Parade. The high court had earlier stayed the cutting of trees till further orders.

The bench also allowed the petitioners to examine Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) documents. Petitioners want to verify the authorities’ claims that all the procedures have been followed before granting permission to cut trees.

Earlier, the high court had directed MMRC and BMC to submit the survey and study they had undertaken before taking the decision to cut over 5,000 trees for the project.

MMRDA counsel Kiran Bagari had said, “After six years of research, the decision was taken to align the metro route. Cutting trees is necessary for building the infrastructure.”