Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (MMRCL) received permission from Supreme Court to cut down 84 trees in the Aarey forest. They were given permission back sometime in order to construct the project of the metro car shed. But things did not go accordingly to the order here and they violated the direct rules from the Supreme Court. MMRCL breached the order by trying to cut down more trees in the Aarey forest.
Supreme Court Imposed A Hefty Fine Of ₹10 Lakhs On MMRCL!
Breaching the direct orders did not sit well with the top court. The Supreme Court is very angry with the authorities for asking permission to cut more than double trees in the Aarey forest to what was permitted before. The court has now imposed a huge fine of ₹10 lakhs on MMRCL. Though they will need to pay this huge amount within a period of 2 weeks to the chief conservator of forests, they now have permission to cut down 177 trees, according to a report by India Today.
A Supreme Court bench was conducted recently to solve the matter of cutting trees in the Aarey forest. It allowed the cutting of 117 trees in the Aarey forest in addition to paying the fine. The bench also shared that they have asked a group from IIT Bombay to work here and regulate the compliance process. This team of IIT Bombay will also need to create a report on the afforestation in a period of 3 weeks. The Chief Conservator of Forests will also be working on the same and verify the process of afforestation and keep an eye on if everything is being followed according to the Forest Department, according to a report by ABP Live.
Supreme Court Was Enraging After This Incident!
During the hearing of the Supreme Court bench, they stated how asking permission from the top court directly could have been a better step. Rather than discussing it with the Tree Authority, the MMRCL authority could have tried communicating with the top court first.
Also read: After 25 Yrs Of Unregulated Use, Bannerghatta National Park’s Deciduous Forest Alters By 44%
What do you think of this decision by Supreme Court?
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva, Wikimedia Commons