HC lifts interim stay on axing trees for Metro 4

Mumbai: The high court has lifted the interim stay on cutting trees for the metro 4 project in neighbouring Thane district. This means that there are chances of around 1,000 trees being axed for the said project.

On September 20 while hearing the PILs filed by Thane Nagrik Pratishthan and Thane resident-activist Rohit Joshi, a division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Bharti Dangre-Patil had granted a stay on the felling of trees for the metro 4 project (Wadala-Ghatkopar-Thane-Kasarvadavali).

On Monday however, a division bench of Justice S.C. Dharmadhikari and Justice Riyaz Chagla revoked the stay, paving the way for cutting around 1,000 trees.

Thousands of trees in Mumbai and Thane stand in the way of the metro 4 project, and the government wants to raze them. While the Thane Tree Authority has already granted permission to cut thousands of trees for the project, the Mumbai Tree Authority has not granted necessary permission.

Senior counsel Gayatri Singh, on behalf of the petitioner, contended that cutting trees in large number would be harmful for the citizens as well as the environment. The petitioners have challenged the design of the metro 4 project and demanded that instead of cutting so many trees, the project be made underground.

Advocate Singh requested the court to grant more time to file a rejoinder to the affidavit filed by MMRDA, saying that even after serving notice to MMRDA in April 2019, it did not file a reply for a few months and now, the petitioners had got a copy of the affidavit on November 18.

It was informed to the court that the petitioners needed some time to study the affidavit as it ran into 600 pages. However, after hearing the arguments, the bench vacated the interim stay and posted the petition for further hearing on January 1, 2020.