E-Paper
NGT gives Maha-Metro a month to file report on metro-line on Pune river bed
Expert committee had failed to file the report on the environmental impact of part of the Metro line planned on Mutha river bed as directed by NGT in its last hearing.
The western zone of National Green Tribunal (NGT) gave a one-month extension to the expert committee to file a report on the environmental impact of part of the Metro line planned on Mutha river bed. The matter was up for final hearing in the court of judicial member justice UD Salvi and expert member Nagin Nanda on Tuesday. The expert panel had failed to file the report as directed by the NGT in its last hearing.
The next hearing will be held on January 15, 2018. While advocate Asim Sarode represented the petitioner Sarang Yadwadkar; Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (Maha-Metro), among other respondents, was represented by senior advocate SK Mishra and advocate Pralhad Paranjape. A representative of the Pollution Control Board (PCB) of Pune, one of the 8 respondents in the case, was also present in the case.
“The petitioners had opposing the request of expert committee and demanded Maha-Metro should stop work on river bed. Citing Supreme Court’s order, lawyers clarified that the work of Pune Metro would not stop,” said Brijesh Dixit, managing director, Maha-Metro.
“They filed a preliminary report instead. The bench asked them a lot of question and it was clear that their report was inconclusive,” advocate Sarode said.
The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) was to look after the committee and its work of evaluating the impact of the metro-line which will cross the river-bed of Mutha.
