A day after Environmental NGO Vanashakti served a legal notice to the BMC and Mangrove cell of the state forest department for carrying out the construction work for the Coastal Road North project without Stage II permission from Ministry of Forest Environment and Climate Change, the BMC said that the work is going in compliance to the 'Working Permission'.
BMC Claims Compliance
"The construction work for Coastal Road North has begun, but in Non-Coastal Regulation Zone. (CRZ). Also, we have Working Permission. There no violations of environmental permissions, guidelines and as per our affidavit in the Bombai High Court," said an official privy to the project.
Stage II Permission Pending
The official added said that all documentation for the Stage II permission has been completed and the permission is expected within a month or two.
Project Scale and Cost
For the 26.3 km-long coastal road phase II (the Versova-Bhayandar flyover), as many as 45,000 mangrove trees will be felled, for which the HC also granted permission two months ago. The project cost is as much as Rs 22,000 crore.
Vanashakti Opposition
The legal notice served by Vanashakti states, not to cut any mangroves for the project, without obtaining Stage II permissions MoEFCC and without complying with the Bombay High Court orders. 'Any activity taken towards the cutting of mangroves prior to obtaining a final forest clearance (Stage II) is entirely illegal and cannot be permitted under law. High court’s binding directions are that compensatory mangrove afforestation cannot be post-facto and must be simultaneous or prior to destruction."
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NGO Criticism of BMC
Director of Vanashakti Stalin S said, "If the BMC is carrying out work only with the Working Permission, what will they do incase the Stage II permission are denied? It clearly displays that arrogance and dominance of the builders, setting a wrong presidence that start the work first, destroy national habitats, and permissions can be obtained later."
BMC Highlights Replantation
A BMC official said, "It has to be considered that when the project is destructing 45,000 mangroves, we are also planting around 11 lakh compensatory mangroves. A land against project is given in Chandrapur, and plantations will also be done in Dahanu. Only 9,000 mangroves are permanently destroyed, and after the procject is completed, the rest mangroves will be re-planted."
The BMC and the mangrove cell is bind to respond to the legal notice sent by Vanashakti within 15 days.
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