Hailing the Supreme Court’s decision to stay cutting of mangroves for the construction of a bridge in the Andheri suburb of Mumbai, environment activists have said that bridges can be constructed without destroying mangroves.
The activists are hopeful that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will redesign the project.
The BMC had planned to construct a bridge connecting the Yari Road junction and Lokhandwala backroad in the Versova area of Andheri to reduce vehicular congestion and travel time for citizens.
Some Versova residents had filed a Public Interest Litigation against the project in the Bombay High Court, which dismissed the PIL in December 2020, following which they moved the SC to challenge the order.
The apex court recently stayed the cutting of mangroves in the area for the construction of the bridge.
Talking to a news agency, Mumbai-based environment activist Zoru Bhathena hailed the SC’s judgement and said the BMC knows that bridges can be built without destroying mangroves or causing damage to the environment.
“All they need is a proper design. We hope they will redesign it (the project) properly,” he said.
Surjitt Sahani
