The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said it will have to hear environmental experts before deciding on a plea seeking hacking of mangroves to pave way for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
A division bench of Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice NM Jamdar was hearing an application filed by the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), seeking permission to cut mangroves spread over 13 hectares of area.
In March this year, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority had told the court that it had given its nod for cutting over 53,000 mangrove trees for the project.
In April this year, the NHSRCL informed the court that it had received the approval of the expert appraisal committee of the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests for removal of mangroves in Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar districts.
