HC rules in favour of PMC, work on road along Mutha to re-start

Citing environmental issues, Parisar organisation had filed plea to stall work

The Bombay High Court on Monday gave its ruling in favour of the civic administration, allowing it to go ahead with the construction of 3.2 km riverside road from Mhatre Bridge to Jayantrao Tilak Bridge. With this, now the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) can re-start the construction which is already 70 per cent over.

The court cleared the case and rejected the plea filed by city-based Parisar organisation. The General Body (GB) meeting of the PMC had approved the road in 1993 following which the state government too had cleared the proposal.

In 2002, Parisar had objected to construction of road along the Mutha, saying that the road was not mentioned in the development plan (DP). The organisation had also raised environmental issue and expressed fear that the project will affect environment. Parisar approached civic and district courts on the matter. In March 2008, the civic court had rejected the petition and the civic body had commenced work. But the court again issued a stay order, but by then the PMC had already completed 70 per cent of the work.

Speaking to the media, head of civic law department Manjusha Idhate said that the PMC was building the road along the riverside. "A city-based environmentalists group had approached the court and demanded that the work be stalled. The municipal court and district court had given verdict in favour of the Corporation. After which the environmentalists had approached the High Court which on Monday gave the decision in favour of the civic administration," she said.

Idhate said the HC, while giving ruling in the favour of the Corporation, upheld the decision of the lower courts. She said that since the ruling was in favour of the civic body, the administration can go now ahead with the construction of the road.

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