There was a total freeze in the state on the destruction of the mangroves for any commercial, private or any other use as decided by the division bench led by justice Abhay Oka on September 2018 until the court finds it necessary for the public good and in public interest.
After the number of trees to be cut down was decreased from 53,467 to 21,997, the high court granted National High Speed Rail Corporation’s (NHSRCL) request and placed several restrictions on it including plantation of 2.5 lakh saplings as a restorative measure. The NHSRCL also assured the court of afforesting five times more trees that is to be cut down.The court dismissed a request by the NGO Bombay Environmental Action Group, an intervenor, to stay operation of its order. The objection raised by BEAG was that there was a failure to prepare a revised and firm mitigation plan for the Thane creek flamingo sanctuary. The BEAG further asserted that a thorough plantation and management plan had not been prepared. Additionally, the BEAG asserts that this design is unsustainable because there have been no research done on the survival rate of saplings.This 508-km high speed rail corridor is the first bullet train project of the country and is expected to cut down the travel time from 6 and half to two and half hours.
Image source- economictimes.comThe NHSRCL asserts that 98% of the necessary land has been acquired in Gujrat and 97% in Maharashtra. Originally scheduled to begin in April 2020 and be finished in December 2023, the project’s completion date is currently unknown due to land acquisition delays, though the 352 km stretch in Gujrat is anticipated to begin in 2027.What are your thoughts on the restorative measures? This progress is vital, but it necessitates taking into account the environment with which we coexist. To what extent they reality compensate the loss?
