HC allows Adani plea for felling of mangroves for electricity transmission near Vasai creek

The Adani energy appointed arsenic Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to instrumentality the task had approached the HC seeking absorption to authorities to licence it to execute the task involving 80-kilometres agelong consisting of 50 kilometres of High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) enactment and 50 kilometre of HVDC underground cablegram successful the mangrove area.

Senior advocator Vikram Nankani for the petitioner submitted that of the 80-km enactment lone 1 kilometre passes done areas having mangrove beingness and 2.22 km of the transmission enactment falls successful the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ). The enactment is  projected to beryllium laid astatine the extent of 20 metres beneath the crushed utilizing horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and duct slope trenches method crossed the Vasai Creek.

As per the inspection, the task progressive felling of 209 mangroves including 144 located successful Mumbai Mangroves Conservation Unit (MMCU) and 64 mangroves are located successful Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) wood division. The petitioner steadfast obtained an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and Environment Management Plan (EMP) for the HDVC project.

Subsequent clearances and recommendations were fixed by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and  Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

In October, past year, the Divisional Forest Officer, Mangroves Division, North Konkan issued a request announcement to the petitioner to deposit Rs. 6.77 lakh arsenic outgo of plantation of mangroves (compensatory afforestation) successful 1:5 ratio, which the steadfast deposited.

Thereafter, required approvals were obtained from authorities including Eco Sensitive Zone Monitoring Committee of SGNP, Mangrove conservation compartment and National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and the plea was moved successful HC seeking its motion for felling of 209 mangroves.

Nankani argued that the task was captious for Mumbai arsenic existing capableness of the transmission corridor is not capable to transportation further powerfulness into the metropolis and the petitioner has availed each statutory permissions and is required to commence the task by March 21, 2025.

NGO Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) opposed the plea stating that determination was inconsistency successful mangroves to beryllium cut. It said portion MCZMA gathering had indicated 79 mangroves to beryllium cut, the petitioner sought felling of 209 of them.

The seat considered ‘public value astatine large’ of the projected task and indispensable approvals availed by the petitioner steadfast from authorities and recovered it “appropriate to confer the desired permission.