The Bombay High Court has controversially allowed state-run Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) to fell over 11,600 trees, including 10,500 mangroves, for laying pipelines from its Mahul refinery to Raigad district. BPCL cited lower carbon footprint from reduced fuel transport.
The court ruled the 43-km, 4-pipeline project served the “larger public interest” though environmentalists decry the ecological impact. BPCL stated railway infrastructure constraints leave heavy road transit as the only logistics option currently between the two regions.
Seeks Lower Costs, Emissions Via Pipelines
BPCL argued the pipelines would eliminate emissions-heavy road transportation of bulk fuel completely while also lowering distribution costs and product losses from loading/unloading inefficiencies.
It added the pipelines provide supply chain resilience against extreme weather events like floods and cyclones that often disrupt Maharashtra’s coastline. But the damage from felling old trees enmasse has caused outrage.
Approvals Needed For Port Authority Lands
As pipelines traverse lands belonging to Mumbai Port Authority and development agency CIDCO, BPCL required HC approval for tree cutting unlike private projects. But critics allege a faster nod compared to citizen proposals for large-scale afforestation.
Environmentalists rue the paradox of pipelines for lower carbon footprint at the expense of existing green lungs and biodiversity sinks. With global warming impact visible, they urge exploring alternative routes or tunneling rather than ecologically costly shortcuts for infra motives.
