Mumbai:
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed Adani Cementation Ltd to cut 158 mangrove trees for its proposed jetty project along the Amba river in Maharashtra’s Raigad district.
A division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharati Dangre, however, emphasised the importance of balancing development with environmental conservation and directed the company to strictly adhere to the conditions imposed by regulatory authorities.
While the project serves commercial interests, it must not lead to excessive depletion of natural resources, the high court said.
The court said a balance needs to be struck between the necessity of the project, which aims at meeting the ever-increasing need for cement, and, at the same time, not compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
It is necessary to ensure that the project results in minimum damage to the environment and natural resources, particularly when the entire planet is coping with the crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, the high court said.
The high court was hearing a petition by Adani Cementation, seeking permission to cut mangroves to facilitate construction of a berthing jetty, conveyor corridor, and approach road to transport cement, clinker and raw materials via waterways.
The project, estimated at Rs 172 crore, aims to reduce road congestion and carbon emissions by shifting freight movement to water transport.
The high court noted that the project serves a public purpose by supporting infrastructure development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, which relies heavily on cement transported over long distances.
“We find exhaustive deliberation about the nature of the project covering a jetty to be used for transporting cement through sea or inland waterways instead of road, which according to us will achieve the object of easing congestion in roads and help in reduction of carbon emission by more than 60 per cent,” the high court said.
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