BMC seeks alternative routes for Goregaon-Mulund Link Rd : Hindustan Times

Hires second consultant to analyse feasibility of route proposed by the first

THE NEW CONSULTANT WILL HELP PICK THE BEST POSSIBLE ROUTE FOR THE ROAD. THEY WILL SEE WHETHER IT REQUIRES MAJOR CHANGES OR WHETHER MINOR TWEAKS WILL SUFFICE.

OFFICIAL FROM THE BMC’S ROAD DEPARTMENT

MUMBAI: The proposed Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) will undergo another round of analysis by a new consultant to find a suitable and feasible route.

The estimated cost of the 14-km elevated road is Rs 1,300 crore and its goal is to improve the city’s notoriously poor earwest connectivity.

The proposed road has already been the subject of a feasibility report by one consultant; now, the BMC wants this report peer-reviewed by another consultant, which will also suggest two or three alternative routes for the civic body to pick from.

The GMLR has been facing several issues, including difficulties in land acquisition, lack of permission from other agencies and opposition from environmentalists.

The BMC decided to make the entire GMLR an elevated road after environmentalists protested against tree cutting at Aarey Colony for the project, saying it would ruin the area’s ecology.

The proposed route of the elevated road begins at the entrance to Aarey Milk Colony at Goregaon (E), passes through Saki Vihar, Pipeline Road, the IIT campus and Bhandup Water Complex and ends at LBS Road, Mulund.

However, because of a host of issues related to this route, the BMC has chosen to seek a second opinion.

“The new consultant will help pick the best possible route for the road. They will see whether it requires major changes such an underground passage through Sanjay Gandhi National Park, or whether minor tweaks to the current route will suffice. Once this report is finalised, we will start floating tenders,” said an official from the BMC’s road department.

The civic body has already ordered one tweak to the current route, as the Bhandup Water Complex is a high-security zone.

A senior official from the road department said, “The BMC has decided not to touch the treatment plant; instead, the road will pass near its compound wall. So the issue of a security threat to treatment plant has been resolved.”