The Supreme Court on Friday emphasized the critical need to preserve the remaining green spaces in urban areas like Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, which are experiencing rapid vertical development. The remarks came during a hearing of an appeal by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) of Navi Mumbai against a Bombay High Court ruling that invalidated the Maharashtra government’s 2021 decision to relocate a government sports complex from Navi Mumbai to a more remote area in Raigad district.
Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice Manoj Misra expressed concern over the frequent conversion of urban green spaces into development projects. The high court had previously quashed the state’s decision to move the sports complex, originally planned in 2003 and partially allocated to a private developer in 2016, from its intended location in Ghansoli, Navi Mumbai, to Mangaon, some 115 km away.
The Supreme Court questioned the practicality of such a move, pondering the feasibility for residents traveling 115 km to access the sports complex and hinting at the potential neglect of the new site in the future. The bench humorously inquired about the prospects of nurturing gold medallists under such conditions.
Representing CIDCO, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta challenged the high court’s intervention, arguing that the issue revolves around town-planning activities which should fall within the state’s jurisdiction. He defended the decision, noting that the original 20 acres were insufficient for the sports complex and that the state had provided an alternative larger site.
The Supreme Court has scheduled the next hearing for September 30, giving time for further deliberation on the matter.
