SC Puts On Hold ILS Hill Road Project In Pune Pending Environmental Clearance

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday put on hold the construction of the proposed ILS Hill Road project, which is a part of the Balbharati–Paud Phata link road planned through the Indian Law Society (ILS) campus and Law College Hill in Pune, pending environmental clearance. The matter came up for hearing before a bench led by Chief Justice of India B R Gavai and comprising Justice K Vinod Chandran.

The bench asked the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) to expeditiously decide the issue of grant of environmental clearance (EC) by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). "Taking into consideration that the project has been pending for a long period, we direct that the EIA decide the application for grant of EC expeditiously," the bench said.

The bench stressed that it is essential to balance development with the conservation of the environment and forests. The bench said that the project shall not be commenced unless environmental clearance is granted by the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) authority.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the PMC, defended the project. Mehta submitted that the road forms part of Pune's approved development plan, and therefore does not require separate environmental clearance.

Senior advocate Anitha Shenoy, representing environmentalist Sushma Date, contended that the proposed alignment cuts through the ILS campus and the adjoining Law College Hill. The senior counsel stressed that it is an ecologically sensitive area that forms part of Pune's natural forest ecosystem and described the site as a "virgin forest hill". It was submitted that the hill hosts over 400 species of trees and contains a natural aquifer that helps recharge the groundwater table in western Pune.

Mehta stressed that the civic body was conscious of the environmental sensitivities. It was argued before the bench that consultants engaged by the PMC had themselves found a one-season environmental study inadequate. The senior counsel said a recommendation was made for a comprehensive four-season EIA to capture the area's biodiversity and hydrological importance.

Mehta said the alignment had been carefully designed to minimise ecological impact, ensuring it would not disturb the forested portion of the hill. However, the bench questioned the logic of that distinction, noting that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) previously held that a similar road with the same alignment required an EIA.

Senior advocate Devadatt Kamat, appearing for the Indian Law Society, highlighted that the ILS Hill has been preserved for nearly a century through afforestation efforts, describing it as one of Pune’s last remaining green spaces and a vital component of the city’s environmental heritage.

The top court was hearing petitions filed by Date and an intervention by the Indian Law Society, which owns a significant portion of the land through which the proposed alignment runs.

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