The Bombay High Court disposed of a PIL challenging an NOC issued by the aviation authority pertaining to height restrictions near the Juhu airport. The MMRDA also got an order favouring Metro line 4 .

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) received the green signal for the Metro line 2B between DN Nagar and Mandale, as the Bombay High Court disposed of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the no-objection certificate (NOC) issued by the aviation authority pertaining to height restrictions near the Juhu airport.

The MMRDA coordinated with the Airports Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in reply to the PIL. The affidavit tendered in the court mentioned the details of the safety measures for the safety of the flyers and the airport. The MMRDA contended that the NOC was rightly issued, legally valid and in accordance with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (Height Restrictions for the Safeguarding of Airport Operation) Rules, 2015. It also explained the importance of the project.

MMRDA commissioner S V R Srinivas said, “Infrastructure projects like Metro lines that MMRDA undertakes are for greater public benefits and they should not be embroiled in such legal battles which lead to delay in project delivery and cost to the exchequer. We are thankful that the high court has ruled the case in our favour and quashed the PIL on merit. The MMRDA’s legal team is well equipped to handle such cases and with the results finally coming in, we can now accelerate the work.”

MMRDA commissioner S V R Srinivas said, “Infrastructure projects like Metro lines that MMRDA undertakes are for greater public benefits and they should not be embroiled in such legal battles which lead to delay in project delivery and cost to the exchequer. We are thankful that the high court has ruled the case in our favour and quashed the PIL on merit. The MMRDA’s legal team is well equipped to handle such cases and with the results finally coming in, we can now accelerate the work.”

Metro 2B is a 23.643-km corridor with 20 stations, being constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 10,986 crore. The depot of this line will come up at Mandale in Mankhurd on 31 hectares of land. This Metro line is divided into two phases. Phase 1 of the project connecting DN Naga and National College in Bandra will see commissioning by the end of 2024. Phase 2, connecting Mandale and Chembur, will likely be commissioned by June 2025. Once fully operational, the stretch is expected to see 10.49 lakh ridership daily by 2031. Once fully operational, it will connect three Metro lines, monorail and railway stations.

Similarly, the MMRDA got an order favouring Metro Line 4 (Wadala to Kasaravadali, Thane) construction. Indo Nippon Chemical Co Ltd. in 2018 & Shree Yashwant Co-operative Housing Society Ltd in 2019 filed a writ petition with the Bombay High Court stating that they were aggrieved by the alignment of Metro Line 4 & further said that the alignment was affecting their respective properties and that the entire execution and implementation of Metro was in violation of the statutory provisions, including the Land Acquisition done under MRTP Act, 1966. The petitioner also demanded compensation of about Rs 301 crore based on a private valuation report.

According to the MMRDA, in the Yashwant Society case, the project was delayed by 46 months and the cost escalation was around Rs 1.2 crore. In the Nippon case, the project cost escalated by Rs 80 lakh following a delay of 29 months.

The Metro Line 4 started in 2018 and has attained over 49 per cent of progress. The project got hit due to the Covid-19 lockdown and pending litigation related to land acquisition, as per the MMRDA.

The MMRDA executes nearly 300 km of Metro projects in Mumbai & MMR, which is a complex task due to narrow roads, traffic congestion, utilities, slums, encroachments, nighttime work etc. In addition, the MMRDA faces huge legal issues while executing mega projects, leading to cost escalation & time overruns.