The Bombay High Court has questioned a proposal to compensate for the felling of 847 mangrove trees in Palghar by carrying out plantation nearly 500 kilometres away, saying such an approach does little to restore the environment where the loss actually occurs.
The observations came during the hearing of a petition filed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (MSETCL), which has sought permission to cut 847 mangrove trees spread across 3.35 hectares of forest land. The land is required for a 13.06-kilometre power transmission line linked to the Mumbai Ahmedabad bullet train project.
During the hearing, the court examined the state’s proposal to undertake compensatory plantation in Solapur. The bench questioned how planting trees hundreds of kilometres away could offset the environmental impact in Palghar, where the mangroves would be removed.
The judges also criticised the implementation of afforestation programmes, observing that authorities often claim to have planted replacement trees but fail to monitor whether the saplings survive. The court said plantation efforts should not end with planting alone and called for greater accountability in maintaining the new trees.
At the same time, the High Court clarified that it was not attempting to stop the Mumbai Ahmedabad bullet train project. Instead, it stressed that environmental restoration should be carried out within the same regional vicinity and should ideally begin before existing trees are felled.
Following the court’s observations, Maharashtra’s Advocate General informed the bench that the state would identify degraded forest land closer to the affected site for compensatory plantation instead of relying on distant locations.
The High Court has reserved its order on the petition and will hear the matter again after the state identifies suitable land.
The case highlights the growing scrutiny of how environmental safeguards are implemented alongside large infrastructure projects, particularly in ecologically sensitive areas where mangroves play a vital role in protecting coastal ecosystems.
Source: NDTV
