The project requires coastal clearance for a 21.91-km section of the 508.17-km length of the train's proposed route for projects passing through CRZ areas where development is restricted and regulated
The much publicised Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train has received coastal clearance from the government, albeit with a slew of riders, key among them that a thorough study be conducted on the likely impact of vibrations on over one lakh birds and mudflats in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS).
In addition, the National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL), which is in charge of executing the project, has also been directed to obtain prior wildlife clearance, forest clearance and approval from the Bombay High Court for the cutting of mangroves, while clearance from the Dahanu Taluka Environment Protection Authority is also necessary. A final clearance can only be granted once all these conditions are fulfilled. The environment ministry's expert appraisal committee (EAC) on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) projects had given a conditional clearance on March 18.
The project requires coastal clearance for a 21.91-km section of the 508.17-km length of the train's proposed route for projects passing through CRZ areas where development is restricted and regulated.
The 21.91-km stretch is spread over 43.24 hectares in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts. The route passes through CRZ-IA, III and IVB areas, which include ecologically sensitive areas around the Mithi river, Thane Creek, TCFS, and the Ulhas and Vaitarna rivers.
The Bullet Train is also proposed to pass through underground tunnels and on viaducts in these areas. It will require diversion of 32.43 hectares of mangroves, including 53,467 fully grown mangroves, most of them from the Thane Creek area which would be levelled to make way for an elevated stretch of the route's alignment. In lieu of the deforestation, five times more trees need to be planted, and the NHSRCL has to fund its plantation.
"The TCFS and adjoining waters are a site of global significance, since they host over 1 lakh flamingos and over half a million waders," the expert panel stated. It added that the area is already under immense stress due to the construction of the Trans-Harbour railway line and the Navi Mumbai International Airport, and so to gauge the impact of the Bullet Train on the area is a necessary measure of abundant precaution along with geological studies.
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