New Delhi: Providing relief to the Maharashtra government, the Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed the Bombay High Court order quashing the Coastal Road Zone clearances granted to the city civic body's ambitious Rs 14,000 crore coastal road project.
The top court, however, said that authorities can reclaim the land meant for construction of the eight-lane 29.2 km-long road project but cannot develop it.
The ambitious project of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai proposes to connect the Marine Drive area in south Mumbai to suburban Borivali in north Mumbai.
A bench of Chief Justice S A Bobde and Justices B R Gavai and Surya Kant said, "We are of the considered opinion that the order of the Bombay High Court dated July 16 should have stayed till further orders".
It said that the respondents including Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai can reclaim and secure the land meant for the road project but cannot develop it till further orders of the court.
At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state said that it is a 29.2 kilometer stretch along the coastal line connecting Marine drive to the suburban area of Mumbai.
He said that the High Court had stayed the order due to want of environmental clearances.
Mehta said there is no space in Mumbai and this project was started in 2018 to ease the traffic situation of the city and there is deadline of the year 2022 for its completion.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for the civic body, said that they had Coastal Zone Clearances but did not have environmental clearances as it was not a national highway.
"There is no need for any clearances. According to the notification of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), the roads do not need any clearances but highways have to get such environmental clearances. Mumbai needs roads. This road is within Mumbai," he said.
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