Wait gets longer as coastal panel sends plan to MoEF.

Even as the city's development authority was preparing to start the construction of a new project this month - an elevated road between Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) and Eastern Express Highway - expecting a clearance from the state coastal zone management authority, its plans have now been delayed.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has recommended another level of scrutiny by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) before a final clearance is granted by them.

U P S Madan, Metropolitan Commissioner at the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), said, 'We didn’t anticipate that the proposal will be sent to the MoEF. We were expecting an approval from CZMA itself. The MCZMA meeting took place in August. We were waiting for the minutes of the meeting to be out before beginning work.'

The 1.6-km elevated connector will start from G-block in BKC and terminate at the Eastern Express Highway near Somaiya Ground. The four-lane road will cross the Mithi River, LBS Marg, Central Railway line, Duncan Causeway road, Chunabhatti bus terminus, suburban harbour line and Somaiya Ground.

The project requires an environment clearance as the alignment partly falls under the Coastal Regulation Zone. The Rs. 156-crore project will involve the construction of five pillars in the Mithi River.

An official from the environment department said projects of a higher value were typically recommended to the MoEF for approval.


THE INDIAN EXPRESS