Bombay HC dismisses PIL opposing Versova-Lokhandwala link roads

The Bombay high court on Friday dismissed a public interest litigation opposing three roads and bridges linking Versova with Lokhandwala Complex in Andheri.

The division bench of chief justice Dipankar Datta and justice Girish Kulkarni also imposed a cost of Rs2 lakh on the petitioners -- 13 local residents from Versova -- after noticing that through the PIL, they had pursued their private interests, and not any genuine public cause.

The petitioners, all members of Jai Bharat Co-operative Housing Society in Versova, had moved the court, complaining that the roads and bridges being constructed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) will be passing through thriving mangrove areas and the plan for the proposed link roads did not comply with principles of sustainable development.

Their PIL stated that they had also filed complaints with the authorities that the proposed plan did not seem to relieve the traffic scenario in the area in any manner. On the contrary, they complained, this plan would increase bottlenecks and traffic in the area, and also expressed apprehension that the proposed constructions would increase the difficulties for the local population because the construction is sought to be done in a totally unplanned manner.

Acting on the PIL, on April 25, 2019, another bench of HC had restrained MMRDA from cutting mangroves for the construction of the link roads.