Latest news with #Vanshakti
Time of India
01-08-2025
- Business
- Time of India
SC stays HC order declaring Kanjur land protected forest
Mumbai: The Supreme Court has stayed a May 2 order by the Bombay High Court in a PIL which challenged continued waste dumping at the Kanjurmarg landfill and sought its relocation on the grounds that the site was protected forest land. The PIL was filed in 2013 by the NGO Vanshakti. HC had ruled that 118 hectares at Kanjurmarg, used as a landfill for over 15 years, remained forest land and must be restored as such. The state govt, represented by solicitor general Tushar Mehta and advocate Siddharth Dharmadhikari, filed a special leave petition (SLP) seeking an urgent stay. The SLP argued that the landfill was being scientifically managed and was permitted under a 2003 Supreme Court order. An SC bench of Chief Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran granted leave to appeal and stayed the HC's order pending hearing. The HC bench, comprising Justices Girish Kulkarni and Somasekhar Sundaresan, had declared the site a 'protected forest' and ordered that dumping could continue for only three more months. Within that period, the BMC was directed to take necessary measures to comply with the judgment, which included restoring the land to its 'private forest' status, assigned in 2009. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like American Investor Warren Buffett Recommends: 5 Books For Turning Your Life Around Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo The court noted the site was roughly one-third the size of New York's Central Park. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai Advocate Zaman Ali, appearing for Vanshakti, said the ruling effectively required BMC to find an alternative dumping site within three months. The HC cited previous judgments and pointed out the presence of mangroves on the Kanjurmarg plot. The court also noted that walls constructed by BMC had "stunted and denuded" mangrove growth on the salt pan land. Vanshakti and its member Stalin Dayanand, who filed the PIL, argued that the state's 2009 decision to de-notify 120 hectares of protected forest land for dumping was illegal as it lacked due process and central govt approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. While the HC found the land to be forested, the state countered that mangroves were only marginally present and that these patches had been excluded from dumping and were being protected. Advocate General Birendra Saraf defended the state's position before the HC. In its SLP, the state warned that halting use of the Kanjurmarg landfill would leave Mumbai without a solid waste disposal site, exposing residents to significant health and sanitation risks. The petition also emphasized that expert bodies had approved the site's use for scientific waste management, and that the HC should have weighed the larger public interest in its decision.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
NGT stays ‘illegal' concrete plant near SGNP
Mumbai: The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued an order prohibiting J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd from operating its ready mix concrete (RMC) plant in Thane. The plant, located within the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), manufactures girders for various ongoing metro rail projects. NGT stays 'illegal' concrete plant near SGNP The bench of justices Dinesh Kumar Singh and Dr Vijay Kulkarni passed the order on a petition filed by Vanshakti, a Mumbai-based nonprofit, which alleged that the RMC plant was functioning illegally, without due permissions, and its operations were destroying the ecology around the Chene and Bhayander Pada villages. In the petition, Vanshakti claimed that over 27 plots in the two forested villages were affected due to the RMC plant. The top soil had been cleared illegally to set up the plant, cement sludge had been dumped on site, and dust emanated constantly from the casting yard of the plant, directly affecting the ecology of the ESZ contiguous to the SGNP, the petition alleged. Transportation of raw materials and cement using multi-axle vehicles, dumpers and trucks further spread dust in the area and affected various sensitive flora and fauna, it noted. The petition further alleged J Kumar Infraprojects Ltd did not have requisite permissions for the plant as the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) had failed to provide to Vanashakti copies of applications by the company to establish and operate the plant as well as site inspection reports. The nonprofit had sought these documents in June 2024 under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, but in July 2024, the MPCB reverted saying the documents were not available on record. The chief conservator of forests and the director of SGNP told the NGT bench via affidavits that the RMC plant was indeed located in the ESZ of the national park. The SGNP's ESZ monitoring committee had inquired via a letter to J Kumar Infraprojects dated January 30, 2025 if the plant had the relevant permissions, the chief conservator of forests said in his affidavit. The committee was also contemplating action on the company under the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the affidavit mentioned. Advocate Zaman Ali, appearing for Vanshakti, sought a prohibitory order from the tribunal against the company. The tribunal, after hearing both sides, issued an interim order restricting the company from operating the RMC plant. It will adjudicate on the alleged illegality of the plant in due course. HT reached out to J Kumar Infraprojects' spokesperson for comments on the development, but there was no response from the company.
