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Create animal passage plan before beginning Goregaon-Mulund Link Road work, BMC told

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) cleared the project last month subject to these important conditions among others, minutes of the board's meeting show.

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Sanjay Gandhi National Park
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Before it begins construction of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project, it would be incumbent on the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to assess the project's impact on wildlife and aquifers of the national park, especially in relation to the Tulsi and Vihar lakes.

The National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) cleared the project last month subject to these important conditions among others, minutes of the board's meeting show. Modifying the road's design to incorporate animal passage plans is also one of the other important conditions.

The NBWL stated that the state government can permit the work to start only after the road design is modified as per the animal passage plan prepared for a portion outside the national park, in the Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZ), in consultation with the State Wildlife Warden. SGNP and its ESZ, the Aarey forest, are home to over 40 leopards, studies show. In fact, some of the leopards have made the park's ESZ their home territory, research has shown.

In addition to conditions calling for studies, the NBWL also directed the BMC to deposit 2 per cent of the Rs 1,997.5-crore project cost with the SGNP for wildlife conservation, as per a February 2014 decision of the Board's standing committee to levy a compensation on project proponents for building development projects in and around protected areas.

The BMC has proposed to build the 12.7-km-long Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) to provide West-to-East road connectivity through SGNP. The project would require clearing of 19.43 hectares of forest land to construct twin tunnels for 5.54 km of the road beneath the national park and a part of its ESZ.

As per the minutes of the NBWL meeting, the BMC would have to carry out a detailed study on the aquifers of the SGNP area. A reputed institute such as the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay would have to clear the study and certify that there shall be no damage to the aquifers and to the water of Tulsi and Vihar lakes due to the project.

The Tulsi and Vihar lakes are two of the seven lakes that supply water to Mumbai. Both are situated inside the limits of the national park and sustain the city's residents, as well as the park's wildlife, which includes crocodiles. Further, detailed hydrological studies would have to be conducted with respect to the drainage of rainwater during monsoon and its impact on the road tunnel.

BMC will have to submit an annual compliance status of all the conditions laid down while clearing the project to the State Wildlife Warden, who will send it to the Centre.

THE PROJECT

The BMC has proposed to build the 12.7-km-long Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) to provide West-to-East road connectivity through SGNP. The project would require clearing of 19.43 hectares of forest land to construct twin tunnels for 5.54 km of the road beneath the national park and a part of its ESZ

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