Mumbai: The Bombay high court chided the Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporation for cutting down mangroves while cleaning nullahs despite being only being permitted to trim them.
The forest department and petitioners confirmed the cutting of trees with pictorial evidence.
The corporation requested the high court to grant them permission to cut the mangroves as it hampered the cleaning work. The court said that the felled mangroves should be planted elsewhere.
Justices V.M. Kanade and A.M. Badar werehearing the notice of motion moved by the Mira-Bhayandar municipal corporation seeking permission to cut mangrove trees where necessary while cleaning 12 nullahs.
The notice of motion was filed in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by an environmental group that complained of inaction by the civic body even though the nullahs were choked and could result in massive flooding during the rains.
The forest department gave a report stating that the civic body had cut 8 mangroves while cleaning other nullahs and the same was corroborated with photographs by the Bombay Environment Action Group.
In light of the impending rains and submissions by the corporation that the cleaning work was hampered due to mangroves, the court directed the forest department to appoint a high-ranking officer to oversee the cleaning and ensure that land was not reclaimed by cutting mangroves.
