Bombay HC says construction of Powai Lake cycle track illegal, orders BMC to restore land
India Today
The Bombay High Court on Friday ruled that the construction of a cycle track around Mumbai's Powai Lake is illegal and ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to restore the land to its original state.
The Bombay High Court on Friday declared that the cycle track being constructed around Mumbai’s Powai Lake is illegal. The court also ordered the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to remove all construction work done until now and restore the ground to its original position.
The division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice VG Bisht ruled that construction of a cycling track inside a catchment area in Mumbai is illegal. By the court’s order, the BMC has been restrained from working on the construction of the cycle track any further now.
The court’s orders came as a big blow to Maharashtra tourism minister Aditya Thackeray, who treated the cycling track as his pet project.
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Advocate Joel Carlos representing the BMC requested for a stay of the order. However, the court rejected it. Chief Justice Dipankar Datta said, "If the court stays its own order, then it shows that the court is not sure of its order. We don't pass orders like that. We are sure it is illegal and so it has been stopped."
The court passed the order while hearing two petitions which challenged the construction of the track and alleged that it was in violation of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules. The bench had directed the Maharashtra government and BMC to file responses on November 1 2021, and had stayed the construction.
The BMC’s construction of a cycling track around Powai Lake was a part of its plan to have cycling tracks across the city. The project had come under opposition from residents and environmentalists, who have opposed the construction and said it will impact the habitat of the Indian marsh crocodile.
