Photo by BL SONI Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday voiced its concern over the increasing opposition to the Metro III project in the city. The court said that the project is facing public ire only because the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MMRCL) has failed to convince the citizens. It further said that Mumbaikars have no confidence in the authority and its project.
A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Nitin Jamdar made these oral observations while hearing a petition moved by the JN Petit Library. The historic library has approached the bench, apprehending damage to its heritage structure due to the continuous drilling work for construction of the underground stations of the Metro III line.
CJ Chellur said, “There is so much of opposition to Metro project in the city. At this stage, I can say that the public has no confidence in you (MMRCL). May be you are not making efforts or putting things in a proper perspective to convince the citizens.”
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“Ultimately, the public should be happy with what you are doing in their city and localities. And this can only happen when you convince them by making them aware of what work you are doing. Here, we find that the citizens are not informed as to what is happening around them,” CJ Chellur added.
Asking the MMRCL to undertake ‘earnest’ efforts to make the public aware of its work, Justice Jamdar said, “You should make them understand that this is really a public project and not for profit motive.”
During the course of hearing, the judges were informed that the MMRCL has refused to comply with the recommendations of the expert committee, which had suggested the authorities strengthen the vulnerable structures of the library before starting the work. The judges have now asked the MMRCL to comply with all the suggestions of the committee and, only then, they would consider lifting the stay on the drilling work, which was imposed last month.
No work at night during Diwali
The residents of Colaba, Mahim and other areas, where the Metro III line work is under way, can expect a ‘silent’ Diwali, since the Bombay High Court on Friday refused to vacate the stay it had imposed on the MMRCL from carrying out work in
night hours. The court has also asked the Advocate General to form a committee comprising of experts and the general public to oversee the entire Metro work. A division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Nitin Jamdar also said that this committee, would give suggestions to the MMRCL and ensure that the environment is not affected. The judges have asked the MMRCL to provide a chart spelling out the works it would be conducting during day time and also in night hours.
