HC allows CIDCO to cut mangroves, clearing Navi Mumbai airport

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court allowed the Maharashtra government’s town planning agency, City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), to cut mangroves in an area of 108 hectares on Tuesday, paving the way for the much awaited international airport in Navi Mumbai. Clearance was given by the High Court after CIDCO said it had obtained necessary permissions from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Wildlife Authority and other bodies. [caption id=“attachment_1201427” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] Besides, an exemption had been given to CIDCO from Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) regulations for development of the airport, CIDCO’s counsel G S Hegde informed the court. “Today, the High Court has granted final approval to cut the mangroves. This was the last legal hurdle in the way of the proposed airport at Navi Mumbai,” CIDCO’s lawyer said. The Court has asked CIDCO to observe all conditions imposed by the environment and forest departments in this regard - one such condition being that CIDCO has to develop a ‘mangroves park’ near the proposed airport. Earlier, the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) had filed a petition opposing the airport in Navi Mumbai. One of the grounds of BEAG’s opposition was that airport development would cause wide destruction of mangroves located in the area. Earlier, the High Court had passed orders on this petition. After obtaining clearances from authorities, CIDCO recently moved a notice of motion on this petition, seeking permission from the High Court. The court verified clearances obtained by CIDCO before allowing it to go ahead with cutting mangroves. PTI