Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh will be in Mumbai today to review infrastructure projects from the environmental point of view.
Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh will be in the city today to review infrastructure projects from the environmental point of view. The state government is all set to try and convince him to allow a coastal road to be built as an extension of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link instead of another sea link.
According to sources, a detailed presentation will be made before Jairam to emphasise that a coastal road will be cost effective when compared to a sea link. “It is likely that the ministers concerned will push for a coastal road. It is difficult to assess what the Centre’s response would be,” said a senior MSRDC official.
While the top political management is keen on a coastal road, officials in the MSRDC are certain that a coastal road by way of reclamation will not be possible in spite of changes announced in the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.
Ramesh is aware that the coastal road plan was prepared long back, sources close to the development told DNA. “The plan that the MSRDC is relying on was prepared 14 years ago. In previous meetings, Ramesh had told officials to prepare a fresh plan,” said a source.
Another source said: “A pre-feasibility study, an environmental impact assessment report and a public hearing will have to be conducted. The whole process will take at least 3-4 years. This will clearly be a disastrous move. Even the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has agreed that the coastal road looks possible only under exceptional circumstances.”
Moreover, several locals, particularly those in Worli, have expressed displeasure about the coastal road. Environmental organisations, too, are likely to be up in arms, as the construction of a coastal road will involve land reclamation. Meanwhile, the consortium of Reliance Infrastructure and Hyundai has written to the MSRDC, seeking permission to go ahead with the construction of the Worli-Haji Ali Sea Link.
An MSRDC official said that the consortium has completed all the groundwork. “However, we have not conveyed anything so far. A decision on whether a coastal road will be constructed will be taken only after we get the central government’s nod,” said the official, requesting anonymity.
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