One of the Bullet Train Stations taking shape in the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Corridor. Representative image: X | @nhsrcl
‘Project of national importance’: HC clears mangrove felling for bullet train power line
The court, however, criticised the state govt’s lax approach to compensatory afforestation and publication of information on the public portal, ordered stricter compliance within 4 weeks
Mumbai, Aug 4 (PTI) The Bombay High Court on Tuesday permitted the felling of mangroves for the construction of a 13-km power transmission line, crucial for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Corridor, observing that the project was one of "national importance".
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad noted that the proposal to divert mangroves and fell trees for the transmission line between Dahanu and Amberserai (Palghar district) has been scrutinised and approved by the competent authorities.
The bench, however, noted that conducting compensatory afforestation in Solapur district — hundreds of kilometres away — satisfies a statistical requirement but fails to restore the local ecological balance.
While granting permission for the felling of mangroves, the court held that the transmission line forms an important part of the bullet train project, which is of national importance.
The court passed the order on a plea filed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Limited, seeking permission to fell mangroves to undertake construction and laying of a 132 KV transmission line from the existing Dahanu sub-station to the proposed Amberserai traction sub-station in Palghar district.
The proposed transmission line, approximately 13 km with certain portions falling within mangrove forest land and private forest, will provide uninterrupted power supply to the high-speed rail system.
The court also rapped the Maharashtra government for not complying with directions passed earlier by another bench regarding publication of information on the public portal and establishment of a transparent mechanism for monitoring compensatory afforestation of non-mangrove trees.
Terming the "administrative apathy and continuing default" as "unacceptable", it noted that if effective monitoring mechanisms are not put in place, compensatory afforestation would remain a theoretical exercise rather than an ecological restoration.
The bench ordered the state government to ensure full compliance and implementation of the directions within four weeks. PTI