Roads in Aarey Colony transferred to BMC for upkeep: State to HC
The HC was further told that the civic body would not cut any trees and avail the required environmental clearances for repair and maintenance work
Mumbai: Chief minister Eknath Shinde has approved handing over around 45-km internal roads in Aarey Colony to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to carry out maintenance and repair work, the state government on Thursday said to the Bombay high court, adding that Urban Development Department has sent a communication in this regard to the civic body.
The HC was further told that the civic body would not cut any trees and avail the required environmental clearances for repair and maintenance work. A meeting of the Aarey Colony CEO and the BMC Commissioner would be held to decide on which roads were to be handed over to the civic body. On its part, the BMC said that it would examine the communication received from UDD.
The information was shared with HC during the hearing of a petition seeking directions for the repair of roads in Aarey Colony and an application by an NGO seeking surety that there was no environmental impact due to the maintenance and repair work.
The division bench of acting chief justice Nitin Jamdar and justice Sandeep Marne while hearing the petition filed by Binod Agarwal, a local resident, seeking directions to the BMC to take over maintenance of the internal roads in Aarey Colony, was informed by the state government that a letter had been issued at the instance of the chief minister to the BMC.
The state government lawyer submitted the June 6 communication by NB Marale, deputy secretary, UDD to the BMC Commissioner and CEO of Aarey Milk Colony. The UDD letter referred to a September 30, 2022, order of the HC in another matter which had taken note of the BMC Commissioner’s suggestion that if all roads within BMC jurisdiction were handed over to it, monitoring and upkeep of the roads would be more effective and convenient.
Agarwal informed the HC that the MMRDA had handed over the control of the Western Express Highway and the Eastern Express Highway to the BMC in November last year and other government bodies responsible for various roads in the city had also handed over the roads with them to the BMC, and hence the same should be done in the case of internal roads in Aarey Colony as well.
The former navy personnel also informed the bench that the internal roads which were under the Public Works Department (PWD) were not maintained regularly and the situation worsened during the rains hence the same should be handed over to BMC.
Meanwhile, Vanashakti, an NGO had filed an intervention plea seeking direction to authorities to repair and reconstruct the road within the Forest and Ecologically Sensitive Zone (ESZ) areas of Aarey Colony without impacting the natural environment.
The court has now posted the petition for further hearing on July 6.
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