Earlier in September, social activists, and many others protested against the same. The High Court had then stalled the cutting down of trees until any further hearings on the same.
Arguments
Senior counsel Janak Dwarkadas, siding the petitioner Zoru Bathena who started the protest, told the bench that the 'Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (MMRCL) had informed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) to cut 2,238 trees and transplant 464'.The proposed number of trees has been largely hiked currently as per a statement put forward by Dwarkadas. He also told the court that the decision to bring down the trees had been taken in a hurry and that too “without any application of mind.”
Advocate General AA Kumbhakoni said that the Metro project was pivotal to the city's transportation development since it would ease out the pressure on local trains and the daily chaos. He said that there were nearly 10 casualties due to the issue of overcrowding of locals.
Chief Justice Nandrajog said that "With all the best resources at their disposal if the government cannot manage the national economy then how can they manage the ecology?” He also said that "They (government) have the best economists working for them but still something is lacking."