June 20, 2019:
on Tuesday, Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog of Bombay High Court drew up a dystopian future for the human race if it stopped caring for the environment.
A division bench comprising of the Chief Justice and justice Nitin Jamdar was hearing PIL challenging the alleged lack of approvals, including environmental clearances for the south coastal road that is part of the Mumbai coastal road project.
At the close of the day’s hearings, the CJ predicted a bleak future “if we don’t care about the environment.”
The Chief Justice passed a notepad to lawyers in the case with a caricature of a human being of the future affected with deformities as a result of pollution.
The caricature resembled an alien being with an overgrown head due to high activity of brain cells, an elongated nose because of nasal chambers breathing in toxic and polluted air and small eyes which were a fallout of constant exposure to the computer screen.
The being also had long arms due to computer use and short legs because of lack of movement and physical activity. The Judge said the lack of concern for the environment will “affect future generations.”
The bench is presently hearing arguments in the PILs against the work, including reclamation activities on the coast that started last year on the 10-km-long SCR. This is part of the 34-km-long coastal road that will finally connect Marine Lines to Kandivli.
One of the major issues raised by the petitioners is lack of environmental clearance from the union ministry of environment and forests for the SCR.
The BMC and state have claimed environmental clearance is not required. The authorities have cited the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) approvals to support their case.
Senior Advocate Janak Dwarakadas, counsel for the petitioners, said the environmental clearance had additional requirements and conditions that were not there for CRZ approvals.
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