‘Exempt Metro from green nod’

After receiving flak from environmentalists for Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC)’s proposal to construct a car depot for the Colaba-Bandra-Seepz Metro-3 underground corridor, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in a controversial move, wrote a letter to the Centre seeking exemption from environmental clearance for the proposed construction of 118-km of Metro rail network in Mumbai.

In a letter dated February 8, 2016, the MMRDA wrote to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) seeking exemption from environmental clearances for all the proposed 118 km metro corridors that are being carried out by the MMRDA and MMRC.

This comes at a time when state government officials and environmentalists are in a clash over the Aarey Colony being proposed for the car depot of Metro-3 corridor.

In August last year, while hearing a plea filed by NGO Vanashakti and a few others, seeking the declaration of Aarey Colony as a No Development Zone (NDZ), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) not to allow any construction in the Colony.

The MoEF declared areas in a four-kilometre radius of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as eco-sensitive zones.

However, MMRC has claimed that this does not restrict construction in Aarey Colony and the car depot is not within any eco-sensitive area.

In reference to the letter written by the MMRDA in February 2016, the MoEFCC in a letter dated March 9, 2016, stated, the project proponent (MMRDA) may take note of strict compliance from respective state level environmental bodies. If any construction is proposed within Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) area, clearance shall be obtained under the notification, 2011.

The proposed construction shall also incorporate green building features, rain-water harvesting system, energy efficiency and solid waste management. All the issues should be looked into after the approval of the competent authority, the MoEFCC reply said.

“We will comply with all the rules and regulations laid by the state government and the letter is nothing but to make sure that there is no objection to the metro projects on the part of the MoEFCC. At times when we are approached by various international financial institutions for funding, we are asked whether the metro projects will have any objections from the Union environmental ministry and we have communicated the same to the ministry,” said a senior MMRDA official, demanding anonymity.

However, environmentalists termed the act of seeking exemption from obtaining environmental clearances as land grab.

“It is one of the biggest blunders that MMRDA has done by seeking exemption. Even construction of a single building requires environmental clearances. Also, seeking exemption at a time when the issue of car depot of Metro-3 is ongoing in NGT is very suspicious,” said D Stalin, Vanashakti NGO.