Mumbai: Taking note of the increase in demand for electricity, the Bombay high court has permitted the Tata Power Company to upgrade its over-75-year-old Kalwa-Kalyan transmission line.Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Gautam Ankhad on August 21 noted that permissions granted to the company recorded the importance of the project.“The proposed upgradation is necessitated by the increased demand for electricity in the city of Greater Mumbai and Thane district. The replacement of the existing transmission infrastructure is an integral and necessary component of upgrading the transmission line… . The proposed project does not involve cutting or destruction of mangroves,” the high court said.The company’s petition said the upgrade was required due to substantial increase in annual power load. The transmission line passes through various villages and forest land in Thane district as well as certain areas within coastal regulation zone.The proposed upgradation involves substituting the current 110 kV double circuit line with multi-circuit 220 kV line and replacing 87 transmission towers. As two of these towers are situated within the 50 metre mangrove buffer zone, the company sought high court permission as mandated by a September 2018 order.Advocate Cherag Balsara, for Tata Power, said the nearly Rs 488 crore project will augment power supply to Thane region. While it does not involve any cutting or destruction of mangroves, the proposed work involves diversion of 4.6 hectares of forest land and felling of 82 trees over 3.9 hectares.The judges referred to statutory permissions and clearances for the project and compliances made by the company, which paid over Rs 2 crore to the forest department towards clearances and compensatory afforestation. Besides, it also paid over Rs 82 lakh towards compensatory afforestation, involving 10,221 tree saplings over 9.2 hectares of degraded forests in two villages in Murbad taluka.In view of the nature of the project, statutory permissions and compliances undertaken by the company and absence of objection from authorities, including the MCZMA, the judges said: “We are satisfied that the petitioners have made out a case for grant of permission.”To ensure the plantation, maintenance, protection and afforestation of trees is effectively implemented, they directed that the company should file bi-annual reports for the next 10 years. Failure to file such reports shall be treated as “contempt of this court”, they said.
