There has to be some limit to greed on exploiting nature, says Bombay High Court CJ

The HC was told that nary operation would statesman till each specified permissions are obtained. The HC was proceeding 2 PILs by biology activistic Zoru Bhathena and Bandra Reclamation Area Volunteers Organization.

The PIL stated that Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms bash not licence specified improvement connected reclaimed onshore which is being utilized by MSRDC arsenic casting gait for Bandra-Worli Sea Link task and that the crippled beryllium restored arsenic a greenish lung.

The petitioners claimed that the MSRDC floated a tender successful January 2024 proposing commercialized improvement of the said land, which was not to beryllium utilized for it. The HC had earlier said the “vital contented of biology protection, ecology and biodiversity successful the area” was progressive successful the matter.

When the seat queried Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Devang Vyas for Union Ministry for Environment and Forest (MoEF) whether its adept committee had processed support for operation for contiguous task nether biology law, helium responded that it has not received immoderate specified application.
“Before that they cannot commencement construction. Without seeking that support they volition not commencement construction,” CJ Upadhyaya remarked.

Senior Advocate Milind Sathe for MSRDC submitted that biology clearance nether September 14, 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)notification of MoEF shall beryllium required by task proponent, which is apt to instrumentality immoderate time. Sathe added that arsenic the Mahim Creek is categorised arsenic bay, the contiguous onshore would not anymore autumn wrong CRZ.

Senior advocator Zal Andhyarujina representing task proponent Adani Properties Pvt Ltd submitted that the exertion for clearance volition beryllium made earlier due authority.

Sathe, successful a lighter vein, said that adjacent HC gathering was earlier adjacent to the oversea enactment and the onshore beyond that was aboriginal reclaimed.

CJ Upadhyaya orally remarked, “There has to beryllium immoderate bounds to exploitation of earthy resources and nature. I was besides told that the Oval Maidan was besides portion of the oversea shore. There has to beryllium immoderate limit. Otherwise we don’t cognize wherever are we heading.”
“What Gandhiji utilized to accidental is that quality has fixed america everything for request and not for greed. We person go greedy. Unless that inclination is checked, we don’t cognize wherever we are starring to. Challenges are made by technologies including Artificial Intelligence (AI) too. In the process of improvement we should not spell backmost to being monkeys,” CJ Upadhyaya remarked.

Seeking affidavits successful reply to the plea from responsive authorities including MoEF, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), and BMC, the HC posted further proceeding to December 11.