Coastal road from Bandra to Borivali dropped
There is a positive development for commuters in South Mumbai. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has given a green signal to the 13.43 km coastal road that would connect the Princess Street flyover to Worli. The same is believed to bring down traffic congestion as well as reduce the effects of air and noise pollution. However, the authorities have canned the most anticipated proposal to connect the northern side of the Bandra Sea Link to Borivali, ending expectations of easing traffic on that side.
As reported by DNA, Satish Gavai, principal secretary of State Environment department stated, "We have given the green signal to the coastal road - Princess flyover to Worli end project. Now, it will be sent to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for their final approval. After that, BMC will do the execution work of this proposed coastal road."
The proposal also includes a 3.45km underground tunnel with a transparent cover between the Princess Street Flyover and Nepean Sea road. Presently, the distance between the two place is little above 5km by road.
As to why the 29km coastal road from Bandra to Borivali was cancelled, a BMC official told DNA, "In this western suburb stretch, we were facing a lot of environmental issues. Besides, there was no coordination among government agencies such as MMRDA, MSRDC and BMC. Therefore, we decided to withdraw this proposal and push only south side."
He further added, "The funding is not the issue. BMC has already raised Rs 5,000 crore through the fungible floor space index as premium charges for the construction of this proposed coastal road. Let the Union Government approve the project proposal. Soon work will start. We target to complete the project in the next three years."
According to the environmental norms, three times the amount of plantation has to be done for every mangrove damaged, stated Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, the state officials quoted to the central government that the plantation number is six times and not three. The CM mentioned that the revised plantation proposal is being worked upon and will be resent.
Source: DNA India
