Bombay high court go-ahead for ferry boat jetties at Gorai, Manori
TNN | Feb 26, 2019, 04:04 IST
Bombay high courtMUMBAI: Three jetties for ferry services between Gorai and Borivli (west) in the western suburbs and Ghodbunder in Thane can be built as Bombay high court (HC) on Monday termed the project to be in public interest and green-signalled it.
Maharashtra Maritime Board had moved the HC for permission to construct the jetties in a bid to “de-congest’’ traffic in the western suburbs. The board’s plea said it was development of projects of public interest in an area affected by 50 metres mangrove buffer zone where construction was barred without prior permission from the court.
The Board, tasked with management of minor ports in the state, will soon begin work on the proposed ferry jetty services at Borivli and Gorai; proposed passenger jetty services at Ghodbunder and the third proposed Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) Jetty Services at Manori. They are being developed “for a sustainable water transportation system for the city of Mumbai and its suburbs”, said the Board. Its lawyer, Saket Mone, told a bench of Justices Bhushan Gavai and Nitin Jamdar that the project was a public utility and that it had received “all permissions” from expert environmental authorities including the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and Coastal Zone Regulation. He said there was no destruction of mangroves and the jetties are only in the buffer zone.
The Board had moved the HC in keeping with a September 2018 HC judgment in a 2006 public interest litigation. The HC, in that ruling, had held that in keeping with public trust doctrine, the state government is duty-bound to protect and preserve mangroves and destruction of the same cannot be permitted for private, commercial or any other use unless the court finds it necessary for public interest.
The Maritime Board said, “The Gorai/Borivli project would reduce the 30km distance, by land, between Gorai and Borivli, highly congested and affected by traffic to 0.3 km, saving travel time of almost 2 hours each way… developing an alternative environment-friendly public transportation system...” while the Ghodbunder project would reduce the 42km highly congested land travel distance between Ghodbunder and Vasai, to 10km.
The Manori project is to cut down travel time for vehicles which currently have to take a detour to cross the creek, said the Board.
Maharashtra Maritime Board had moved the HC for permission to construct the jetties in a bid to “de-congest’’ traffic in the western suburbs. The board’s plea said it was development of projects of public interest in an area affected by 50 metres mangrove buffer zone where construction was barred without prior permission from the court.
The Board, tasked with management of minor ports in the state, will soon begin work on the proposed ferry jetty services at Borivli and Gorai; proposed passenger jetty services at Ghodbunder and the third proposed Roll-on/Roll-off (Ro-Ro) Jetty Services at Manori. They are being developed “for a sustainable water transportation system for the city of Mumbai and its suburbs”, said the Board. Its lawyer, Saket Mone, told a bench of Justices Bhushan Gavai and Nitin Jamdar that the project was a public utility and that it had received “all permissions” from expert environmental authorities including the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority and Coastal Zone Regulation. He said there was no destruction of mangroves and the jetties are only in the buffer zone.
The Board had moved the HC in keeping with a September 2018 HC judgment in a 2006 public interest litigation. The HC, in that ruling, had held that in keeping with public trust doctrine, the state government is duty-bound to protect and preserve mangroves and destruction of the same cannot be permitted for private, commercial or any other use unless the court finds it necessary for public interest.
The Maritime Board said, “The Gorai/Borivli project would reduce the 30km distance, by land, between Gorai and Borivli, highly congested and affected by traffic to 0.3 km, saving travel time of almost 2 hours each way… developing an alternative environment-friendly public transportation system...” while the Ghodbunder project would reduce the 42km highly congested land travel distance between Ghodbunder and Vasai, to 10km.
The Manori project is to cut down travel time for vehicles which currently have to take a detour to cross the creek, said the Board.
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