17 March,2017 08:26 AM IST | | Vinay Dalvi
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, representing the Cuffe Parade residents, told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that nine stations of the Metro III (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) project were falling under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ)
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, representing the Cuffe Parade residents, told the Bombay High Court on Thursday that nine stations of the Metro III (Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ) project were falling under the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ). He also mentioned that the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL), which is developing the project, was going ahead with constructing the stations without the requisite permission from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEF). The authorities were building the stations just because the state government terms it a public project, he added.
Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Girish Kulkarni were informed that the Cuffe Parade, Vidhan Bhuvan, Churchgate, Girgaum, Worli, Siddhivinayak, Shitla Devi, Dharavi and BKC stations were all falling under the CRZ II and CRZ III.
After MoEF denied permission for building the stations, CM Devendra Fadnavis had written to the ministry asking it to consider the project as it was part of the Prime Minister's Pragati Yojana. Following this, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) granted permission to some stations, which the petitioners claim was not given following proper procedures.
Thereafter, Chief Justice Chellur asked the MoEF to reply by filing a detailed affidavit.
