The petitioners clarified that they do not oppose the metro project but raised objections to the removal of about 940 trees, arguing that these were being relocated far from their original locations.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court, on Wednesday(23rd Oct) ordered that no further trees be cut for the Kolkata Metro expansion without prior approval from the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
The directive was issued by a Bench comprising Justices BR Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and KV Viswanathan while hearing a plea from the NGO People United for Better Living in Calcutta (PUBLIC). The petition challenges the destruction of green cover for the ongoing metro project in Kolkata.
The CEC, established in 2002, oversees compliance with the Supreme Court’s environmental directives. During previous hearings, the Bench expressed concerns over large-scale tree felling in Kolkata, attributing the issue to delays in planning and project execution.
The petitioners clarified that they do not oppose the metro project but raised objections to the removal of about 940 trees, arguing that these were being relocated far from their original locations.
In defense, the State of West Bengal’s counsel maintained that the transplantation would occur along the metro line and within city limits. Representing Kolkata Metro, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta asserted that trees were being transplanted, not felled, and shared a personal example of a peepal tree successfully transplanted at his residence four years ago.
PUBLIC was represented by Senior Advocate Jaideep Gupta, along with Siddhartha Sinha, Riddhi Bose, Racheeta Chawla, Rishi Agarwal, Sampriti Baksi, Siddharth Banerjee, Nring Chamwibo Zeliang, Priya Nisha Minz, and Jyoti Fartiyal.
The respondents were represented by advocates Saurabh Misra, Shrimay Misra, and Rakesh Chander.
