The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) on Monday gave the green signal to a proposal to build a coastal road connecting Bandra-Worli sea link to Nariman Point via Haji Ali.
Mumbai won’t see any new sea links, at least for now. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) on Monday gave the green signal to a proposal to build a coastal road connecting Bandra-Worli sea link to Nariman Point via Haji Ali.
After going through the proposal, the government has forwarded it to the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in Delhi for clearance, state environment secretary Valsa Nair Singh said.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which owns the 4.7-km sea link, decided to opt for a coastal road as it is cheaper than building another sea link. Also, the present sea link is attracting less than 50% of vehicles (and thus revenue) as it was expected to, making a huge white elephant for the state.
“Though reclaiming certain portions is not permissible under the present notification, we have asked for an approval in principle from the ministry,” Nair Singh said. “Once we get the approval, MSRDC can give a detailed Terms Of Reference (TOR) and get an Environment Impact Assessment done with a detailed project report.” She said that the government has sought “special consideration” as the “project is vital in view of traffic and coastal protection”. Moreover, it is cheaper than building a sea link or a coastal road on stilts, she said.
The new plan will, however, put the consortium of Reliance Infrastructure and Hyundai in a spot. About two years ago, the companies bagged the contract to build the next phase of the sea link at Rs2,500 crore.
Though no one from MSRDC wanted to come on record about the decision, an official from Reliance Infrastructure said, “We have not been sent any communication by the corporation till now.”
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