A Public interest litigation (PIL) filed by Sarang Yadwadkar, a 62-year-old architect and Arnavaz Aga, a 76-year-old ex-Member of Parliament, both from Pune and an artist Arti Kirloskar, 59, had drawn the court’s attention to the alleged debris being dumped into the precious water body. On Thursday, their counsel Ronita Bhattacharya Bector sought urgent interim orders.
They filed an application to “bring on record egregious and reprehensible degree of neglect demonstrated by the Respondent Authorities towards the extent of damage that can occur in the monsoon period due to the construction work of the Pune Metro Project.”
She had no photographs to show when the court asked, as she said the petitioners were senior citizens and could not go out during the pandemic. But she cited letter of the Irrigation department to the executive engineer of the Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) and the collector about the danger posed by their construction related debris on the banks of the Mulla river. On May 17, the irrigation Department wrote to the MD of MMRCL that debris over two metre high was first noticed in January 2021 and was still present on the banks of the Mula-Mutha confluence.
The department said despite multiple requests since 2020 the debris was not removed and may cause floods on the onset of monsoon, hence the urgency said advocate Bector.
The bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni kept the matter back directing the PMC counsel Abhijit Kulkarni to organise some photographs from the site immediately. He did. Post lunch when the matter was kept, Kulkarni showed photos taken by the civic team near Sangamaedi and Shinde Bridge at Deccan. The HC was not pleased with the sight and said the authorities have “not been honest.”
The Maha Metro said 95 percent of the alleged debris, which was part of a “road to enable approach for construction’’ was cleared by it and remaining 5 percent would be too soon. It’s counsel said it was construction approach path and not the debris from construction of piers as that was “completed long back”. Its counsel S K Mishra said Metro work was being done under the guidance of an “expert panel set up in 2017 on orders of the National Green Tribunal.”
The HC order said, “It appears from one such photograph that a sizable quantity of rubble and debris are dumped on the banks of the river. The other photographs support the allegation that the rivers are on the verge of disappearance. Thus, the petitioners, prima facie, appear to be correct in their grievance.”
Kulkarni said it was a private contractor working but the HC said the civic and state authorities have a duty to ensure that the river is not polluted and is kept clean. At his request, the HC directed Maharashtra Metro to cooperate with the cleaning up of debris.
The HC sought a “status report with photographs” from the PMC after two weeks.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/bombay-hc-pictures-show-rivers-on-verge-of-disappearance-directs-removal-of-metro-debris/articleshow/84289908.cms
