Bombay High Court Refers Decision on Mutha River Floodline Construction Ban to Expert Panel
Pune, 4th July 2025: The Bombay High Court has declined to immediately ban construction within 100 meters of the Mutha River floodline, instead referring the matter to a high-powered expert committee. The court directed the committee to submit its report to the state government within two months, following which the government must take a decision and act within another two months.
The petition was filed by environmental activist Sarang Yadwadkar, Vivek Velankar of Sajag Nagrik Manch, and Vijay Kumbhar of Surajya Sangharsh Samiti. The petitioners argued that the 2017 development plan of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had artificially and incorrectly altered the floodlines of the Mula-Mutha River without consulting the Water Resources Department, shifting them closer to the river channel. They warned this would pave the way for unchecked construction along the riverbanks, increasing the risk of flooding in residential areas during heavy rainfall.
The petitioners demanded that the floodlines determined in 2011, the red and blue floodlines, be implemented strictly, and that no construction be permitted within a 100-meter buffer from those lines.
In an interim order passed on June 26, 2024, the court had already appointed an expert committee to review the matter. However, the petitioners’ counsel informed the court recently that the committee’s report was still pending.
During the latest hearing, the court observed that demarcation of floodlines is a highly technical subject and beyond the court’s expertise, reiterating that the expert committee’s recommendations would be decisive.
The court also clarified that it has not passed any final order banning construction within 100 meters of the floodline. Instead, it has allowed the petitioners to make representations to the state government. Once the expert committee’s report is submitted, the state government and the municipal corporation have been directed to take appropriate action based on its findings.
