Proposed Goregaon-Mulund Link Rd likely to include tunnel to save trees.

The municipal corporation is considering boring a tunnel through the national park instead of building an elevated road to reduce the ecological damage that may be caused by the proposed Goregaon-Mulund Link Road, even as civic officials are rushing to finalize the alignment of the project by August.

It is only after the alignment is in place, will BMC be able to initiate the tendering process for the project .

Environmentalists said boring a tunnel is a better option than an elevated road as it will not only help save the green cover, but also shorten the route. A total of 2,224 trees are expected to get affected due to the GMLR project—696 trees from Aarey Colony and 1,528 trees from Bhandup Waterworks Complex—due to the 14.66-km GMLR project, which is estimated to be built at a cost of Rs 1,300 crore. Of the 2,224 affected trees, 1,100 trees are to be hacked and the rest would be transplanted or pruned.

During a recent meeting with civic chief Ajoy Mehta, officials working on the GMLR project were asked to explain how the existing proposed alignment is the best option. 'We are reviewing the proposal afresh and looking at all possibilities. We hope to finalize an alternative alignment by August-end. The existing proposed alignment included an elevated road to reduce loss of green cover. But after the recent discussion, we realized that it would affect the green cover and hence, boring a tunnel could be considered, just like in the proposed coastal road project, which has two tunnels,' said a senior civic official.

Environmentalist Rishi Agarwal said boring a tunnel would be a win-win situation. 'Boring tunnels through Sanjay Gandhi National Park would not disturb the ecosystem. I have always been very vehement about GMLR having tunnels as an elevated road would cause ecological damage. Another advantage is that it would also shorten the proposed route,' said Agarwal.

In the BMC Budget 2015-16 announced in February, a provision of Rs 300 crore was made for the GMLR project and then municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte had said that the consultant's detailed project report was in progress.

TOI