Metro: Andheri road digging work for soil testing: MMRDA to HC

The Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) today assured the Bombay High Court that it was carrying out digging work in suburban Andheri only for soil testing purposes for the Metro 2B Line.

A division bench of Justices A S Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a petition filed by the Juhu Vile Parle Development cooperative housing society, the Gulmohar area society welfare group, and the Balabhai Nanavati Hospital in the city, opposing the proposed alignment of the metro 2 B line.

The petition claimed that the MMRDA had started digging work without taking requisite permissions from the concerned authorities.

MMRDA lawyer Kiran Bagalia today told the high court that under the MMRDA Act it does not require permission from any authority to carry out soil testing.

"At present, digging work is on only for soil testing purposes. No other work will be carried out till the petition is heard on the next date," she said.

The bench posting the petition for hearing on June 12. It said if the court comes to the conclusion that the work carried out was unauthorised and illegal then it would order a stay.

"The MMRDA shall file an affidavit by the next date by which it will have to show under what authority it was carrying out the digging work," the HC said.

The bench added that such work should be carried out in coordination with other authorities so as to avoid obstruction to public.

"Roads do not belong to the MMRDA. Are you (MMRDA) not supposed to coordinate with other agencies before you start digging?" Justice Oka asked.

The Metro 2B line will connect the western and eastern suburbs of the city.