SC restrains Maha from chopping trees for metro construction project in Thane

The Supreme Court Monday restrained the Maharashtra government and its authorities from chopping trees for its metro construction project in Mumbai for two weeks. A bench, comprising Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant, directed Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) to maintain status quo on felling of trees for its Metro IV line project.

"There shall be an injunction restraining the concerned authorities from felling the trees for a period of two weeks from today," the bench said while asking the counsel for activist Rohit Joshi to amend his petition on the felling of trees for Mumbai metro project in Thane. The top court also issued notices to the MMRDA and the state government and sought their replies in two weeks.

Joshi had approached the apex court against the Bombay High Court's order which had upheld the permission granted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) tree authority to fell trees. The metro will start from the New Thane metro station in the old city area and will connected to Wadala-Kasarvadavli Metro at two places, namely the New Thane station and Dongripada.