E-Paper
NGT orders Pune civic body to get environment clearance for HCMRT
Order was issued through video conferencing and made available on Tuesday in an application filed by Sarang Yadwadkar, a city-based activist and architect and represented by advocate Ronita Bhattacharya
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued an order that necessitates an environment clearance for the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) ambitious High-Capacity Mass Transit Route (HCMRT) project.
The bench that passed the order included chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel, judicial member Sheo Kumar Singh, and expert members Dr SS Garbyal and Dr Nagin Nanda.
The order was issued on Monday through video conferencing and made available on Tuesday in an application filed by Sarang Yadwadkar, a city-based activist and architect and represented by advocate Ronita Bhattacharya.
“Basically, this is a monstrous project at a monstrous cost. A lot of land acquisition will be required. Dozens of buildings will have to be destroyed. Trees are required to be felled. This is like taking a 40-year-old child to a paediatrician. It was conceived 40 years back. But now the city has changed. Logically, it becomes nonsensical to implement this project that too without getting environmental clearance. Our bureaucrats and corporators and politicians are hell bent of destroying the city,” said Yadwadkar.
The HCMTR is a 24 metre, six-lane fully elevated road having a length of 35.96 km with two exclusive lanes for Bus Rapid Transit System (BRTS) one on each side. Additionally, 26 BRTS stations and 17 up ramps and 16 Downs ramps are proposed in the construction of HCMTR. Various grade roads and structure below the elevated HCMTR, as well as minor bridges, are also proposed in the project.
The order passed by the tribunal has pointed out that for the project to be initiated, it needs to acquire an environment clearance. The EC is to be acquired as per the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification (EIAN), 2006.
“We allow this application and direct that the project may be undertaken after requisite statutory clearance, in accordance with law,” read the conclusion of the NGT order.
The NGT order pointed out that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has failed to respond to the notice served to them on December 3, 2019. The notice was served to PMC along with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority.
The PMC had conducted a Regional Environmental Impact Assessment (REIA) of the project and mentioned that the project does not fall under the ambit of item 7(f) EIA Notification 2006. However, MoEF and CC submission in the case states that the project falls under item 8(b) of the EIA Notification, 2006.
“After detailed deliberation, the expert committee observed that the project in question may be treated as a construction project and the project may be appraised under schedule eight of the EIA Notification. Since the project covers a construction area more than 1, 50,000 square meters, the expert committee opined that the project may be appraised under schedule 8 (b) of the EIA Notification, 2006,” reads a part of the ministry submission to NGT.
In another issue with the project as per the project plans that went through the REIA has mentioned felling of 1,982 trees in a stretch of 8.5 hectares to 10.10-hectare forest land.
