Environment ministry’s notification places no restrictions on the amount of land that can be reclaimed or how it is done
The city, it appears, is in for another round of largescale land reclamation, this time for the proposed coastal road from Nariman Point to Kandivli.
A notification from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, made public on Monday, amends Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) rules and clears the decks for land reclamation.
It places no restrictions on the amount of land than can be reclaimed or the method of reclamation, saying only that the reclamation should not affect tidal patterns.
In addition to allowing unhindered reclamation, the ministry’s notification allows the cutting of mangroves to make way for the coastal road.
According to the coastal road’s detail project report (DPR), three of the road’s seven sections have mangroves – at Bandra, Khar Danda and Juhu, and in long stretches from Juhu to Kandivli.
The DPR, commissioned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), also pegs the land to be reclaimed at 186 hectares. But this figure may rise substantially as the ministry’s decision not to put restrictions on land reclamation could allow the integration of the coastal road with the Mumbai Metro, as desired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.
If the integrated plan is approved, much more than 186 hectares will have to be reclaimed.
An official, who worked on the coastal road’s DPR said, “While preparing the DPR, we took into account land needed to build the road and nothing else. However, with its possible integration with the Metro, the figure will rise drastically. The exact amount will depend only on whether the Metro is on road level or elevated.”
Fadnavis has been keen to bring in expertise from the Netherlands, a country known for its water-based projects and technical prowess in land reclamation.
As Hindustan Times had reported last month, a preliminary report prepared by two Dutch experts had endorsed the coastal road-Metro integration and also pushed for large-scale reclamation to create more land for public use.
A substantial increase in the amount of land to be reclaimed could stoke a controversy, especially as environmental activists have traditionally been bitterly opposed to reclamation.
They say it should be a lastditch option, where elevated roads or tunnels are not possible.
Environmental activist Stalin D of Vanashakti, a group that fights for environmental causes, has already dispatched his objections to the notification.
Demanding that the road be built on stilts rather than on reclaimed land, Stalin said, “The notification is very dangerous because of the potential damage it could cause to the environment. It doesn’t prescribe the right way of reclaiming land. There are eco- f riendly ways of doing so, which would minimise the damage.”
WHAT IS IT?
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PROJECT
The ministry of environment & forests (MoEF) has issued a draft notification, paving the way for the ambitious coastal road from Nariman Point to Kandivli, and possibly a further stretch up to Madh Island
The notification allows large-scale reclamation of land along the western coast
It also permits the chopping of mangroves and building the coastal road over them
The BMC estimates the project will cost Rs11,299 crore. It has also made the draft public on its website (www. mcgm.gov.in) and has invited suggestions from citizens.
WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?
The coastal road will connect the western suburbs along the coast with a combination of under-sea tunnels, elevated stretches and roads
on reclaimed land According to the draft report, the stretch from Nariman Point to Kandivli will have eight lanes, including two dedicated bus lanes for the bus rapid transit system The stretch will have allweather bus shelters, taxi stands and other public facilities 186 hectares will be reclaimed for the project, of which 91 hectares will be used to create green spaces The project will involve the rehabilitation of families that live in structures along the route A wall will be built adjacent to the road for protection from the sea. The BMC says this is necessary as rising sea levels and an increase in severe storms have been predicted for the coming decades Various clearances — environmental, CRZ, forest — will be processed after the draft notification.
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