Boost for water transport as HC allows construction of 3 ferry jetties in Mumbai, Thane

The Bombay High Court on Monday allowed Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) to construct three jetties in the ‘mangroves buffer zone’ in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, observing that the projects were in public interest.

The jetties for which the permission has been granted include ferry jetty services between Borivali and Gorai in Mumbai, roll-on and roll-off jetty services at Manori and a passenger jetty at Ghodbunder in Thane.

The permission from the court will enable the board to develop a sustainable water transport system for the city its suburbs.

While the application was not opposed by the respondents, who all agreed that the project already has all the necessary permissions, an intervention was filed by a fishermen’s union against these projects.

However, the court allowed the petition with the observations that the projects are in the interest of the public and would decongest the city’s western suburbs along with connecting the eastern and western suburbs.

The MMB had approached the high court seeking permission as the proposed jetties would be located on mangrove buffer zones and as per previous court orders, anyone proposing to destroy mangroves as part of a public project has to seek HC’s nod.

In its petition, the MMB claimed that none of the projects would cause any destruction to mangroves and that it had already got Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

“The proposed projects are founded on the principles of public utility, sustainable development, and eco-friendly transportation systems, aimed at benefiting the citizens and not premised on private or commercial gain,” the petition said.