Produce Mumbai civic body nod obtained to dig for Metro 2B, HC tells MMRDA

The court has now posted the petition for further hearing on May 2.

The Bombay high court on Tuesday asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to produce permissions obtained by it from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for digging along roads for Metro line 2B at Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Nagar in Andheri (West).

The bench of justice Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a petition filed by the association of cooperative housing societies within Juhu Vile Parle Development scheme. (HT File/Representational Image)

The bench of justice Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a petition filed by the association of cooperative housing societies within Juhu Vile Parle Development scheme, complaining about work undertaken by the MMRDA within the locality for Metro 2B line. The association approached the HC objecting to the proposed elevated Metro 2B line between Dahisar and Mankhurd that runs along the medium of SV Road between Vile Parle and Bandra. Their counsel, Venkatesh Dhond said that digging is being done along roads without prior permission from the BMC.

“They have started barricading roads for soil testing but there is no fire NOC, no permission from airport authorities,” said the senior advocate. “It seems like they are spending Rs180 crore on a project that does not have permission,” Dhond said.

“We do not know, whether you are working in sync with the BMC or not,” the court retorted.

“If law requires BMC’s permission for digging, you can’t dig without such permission,” said the judges and told the MMRDA’s advocate to produce permissions that MMRDA has obtained from the BMC for construction of the mass rapid transit system across Mumbai. The court has now posted the petition for further hearing on May 2.