The construction of Pune’s controversial Balbharti-Paud Phata Road will proceed as planned, as the Bombay High Court has dismissed a plea filed by the charitable trust Nagrik Chetna Manch, reported India Today.
The plea had challenged the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) decision to construct the road through a designated green zone in the heart of the city.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Bharti Dangre ruled that the project had undergone due deliberation and expert review. Noting that the petitioner is not an expert in city development, the bench emphasised that city planning decisions should be left to the appropriate authorities.
As per the report, advocate Anjali Helekar, representing the petitioner, submitted that between 1994 and 1996, the once rocky and barren land of Law College Hill was transformed into a dense forest through afforestation efforts.
Meanwhile, advocate Abhijit Kulkarni, appearing for the PMC, opposed the petition, arguing that the land in question is not a natural forest but a man-made one. Kulkarni further submitted that, according to a previous HC order, an expert committee was formed to assess the project, and only after that were the tenders for the project floated. He also assured that all the necessary permits from the Forest and Environment Departments will be obtained before the construction begins.
