Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Bombay HC Warns Of Looming Oxygen-Cylinder Health Crisis

Published 15 July 2026 · local

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Bombay HC Warns Of Looming Oxygen-Cylinder Health Crisis Published By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 09:11 IST Bombay High Court voiced

Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project: Bombay HC Warns Of Looming Oxygen-Cylinder Health Crisis Published By, Last Updated: July 15, 2026, 09:11 IST Bombay High Court voiced concern over Mumbai's dwindling green cover while hearing a plea to cut 847 mangroves in Palghar for a transmission line linked to bullet train project. A day may not be far when people will carry oxygen cylinders, said Bombay high court. The Bombay High Court has flagged the steady shrinking of green cover in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, while hearing a state petition seeking permission to fell 847 mangrove trees for a transmission line between Dahanu and Ambesari in Palghar district, part of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project. “A day may not be far when people will carry oxygen cylinders to take intermittent shots of oxygen, one shot of oxygen every three hours," Acting Chief Justice Ravindra Ghuge remarked, suggesting compensatory afforestation be taken up in the project’s vicinity. The Acting CJ, sitting with Justice Gautam Ankhad, was hearing a plea filed by the Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co Ltd, which is required to seek the court’s permission under a September 2018 order governing mangrove felling.

Is This The First Such Clearance Sought For The Project? No — the bullet train corridor has repeatedly run up against green-cover concerns in Maharashtra. Last year, the state Tree Authority cleared the felling of over 5,000 trees across Palghar and Thane for the bullet train and the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, more than 3,700 of them in Palghar alone, including several dozen heritage trees over 50 years old, according to a Hindustan Times report. The BMC had separately invited public comments on felling close to 1,700 more trees in Vikhroli East for the project. How Big Is The Mangrove Impact Overall? Beyond terrestrial trees, several thousand mangroves are estimated to be affected by the bullet train and allied works in the region. A report by the Mangrove Society of India had earlier flagged that the 155-km Maharashtra stretch of the corridor would directly affect eleven mangrove species and the habitat of over 170 bird species, along with otters, turtles, wild boar and other wildlife. The Bombay High Court itself had, months earlier, permitted the Highways Authority of India to divert mangrove forest land and cut down hundreds of mangrove trees in Thane and Palghar for the expressway project.

What Has The State Promised In Return? Compensatory afforestation has been a recurring condition attached to these clearances — the state Tree Authority had earlier directed the plantation of over 60,000 new trees to offset last year’s felling. However, officials have not detailed where this compensatory greening would take place, a gap that has drawn criticism in the past. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit Key Questions Answered Will the bullet train project face further delays due to environmental concerns? The Bombay High Court has raised concerns about the shrinking green cover in Mumbai and its surrounding areas, specifically regarding the felling of 847 mangrove trees in Palghar for a transmission line linked to the bullet train project. What are the long-term health impacts of reduced green cover in Mumbai? The Bombay High Court expressed concern that Mumbai's shrinking green cover could lead to an "oxygen crisis," where people might need to carry oxygen cylinders. This concern was raised during a hearing about felling mangroves for a bullet train project transmission line.