JVPD: MMRDA testing soil sans BMC permission

Mumbai: The JVPD (Juhu-Vile Parle Development) Association has approached the Bombay high court, alleging that the Mumbai Metropol-itan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has started soil testing for the metro in their area without permission from the BMC. On its part, the MMRDA said that it had general permission for soil testing and did not require any specific permission after which the court directed it to show the permission on May 2 or prove that it did not need permission for soil testing.

A division bench of Justice Abhay Oka and Justice Riyaz Chagla on Tuesday asked whether the MMRDA had permission for soil testing. To this, MMRDA counsel replied in the affirmative and said that the BMC had granted general permission for soil testing.

However, the petitioner’s lawyer alleged before the court that soil testing required digging of the road and that it could not be done without permission from the municipal corporation.

Following this, the bench asked MMRDA to show the permission.