Summary:
"Some workable solution needs to be arrived at so that work of the project progresses in a smooth manner. "This report needs to be looked into. Till that time the present order prohibiting any night time construction work will have to continue," the court said.The bench, however, added that it cannot overlook the fact that the metro project, once functional, would be beneficial to lakhs of Mumbaikars. "Therefore, it is true that some balancing act is required to be maintained so that while the larger public interest does not suffer, the rights of individual guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India to live in a pollution-free environment and the Noise Pollution Rules are also protected," the court said. "The metro work will only be 10 decibels above the already existing noise levels," L &T counsel S U Kamdar had said.MMRCL counsel Ashutosh Kumbhkoni had argued that the Noise Pollution Rules, 2000 would not apply to the metro project.The 33-km metro line III, a part of the rapid transport system, will connect the business district of Cuffe Parade in South Mumbai to SEEPZ economic zone in the city's North-Central suburbs via Bandra..