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Centre’s Nod To Mumbai Coastal Road Project - CM Padnavis

New Delhi, 08: The Central Government gave green signal to the impending Mumbai Coastal Road Project, informed Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis after meeting with the Union Minister of State for Environment and Climate Change; Prakash Javadekar at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan seeking for clearance to the project. Now, that the Centre has given a green signal to the Mumbai Coastal Road Project, I think it is a major gift to Mumbaiites and it is like a dream come true, expressed the Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, here today. 

Speaking to the media after this vital decision, Shri Fadnavis said that the Coastal road project will decongest the traffic of Mumbai and will create 91 hectares of green spaces.  This would lead to the transformation of Mumbai and would take it to the next infra.  Presently, there is 60 per cent of the traffic on the western express way. However, the construction of the coastal road would help ease and decongest Mumbai traffic along the western coastline. People who reside in the western side of the city will benefit from it.  Adding further, he said the timeline of Mumbai coastal road clearance has been drawn.  The Draft Notification would be executed by 15th of June and the Final notification by 15th August, 2015.

Shri Fadnavis further informed there won’t be any dilution of the high tide line or changes to prevalent restrictions imposed on construction activity in coastal zones. Even the real estate would not be misused. Care would be taken with regards to the transportation and green spaces. My government has assured the central government of agreeing to furnish and abide by all the above norms. “We have agreed to furnish it. The Centre also wanted an assurance from the state regarding replantation of some mangrove-laden tracts and we have committed to fulfill all legal obligations in this regard,” the CM said.

Construction of the nearly 35-km long coastal road from Mumbai’s Nariman Point to Kandivili in the western suburbs was stuck. The project, whose estimated cost is Rs 10Thousand cr was stalled due to some provisions of the environmental laws which prohibit reclaiming the land from the sea for road projects. However, in a bid to make Mumbai, a city of global standards, replete with good infrastructure, the Centre considered of the possibility of modifying coastal regulation zone (CRZ) norms to permit reclamation of land along the city’s coastline for crucial road projects.

Accompanied by a team of high-level bureaucrats from Maharashtra, Fadnavis met Javadekar to seek a green signal for the project. The road, considered integral to plans for transforming the country’s business capital into a world-class megapolis, has been planned as a freeway to connect South Mumbai to the western suburbs through a high-speed corridor; the project taken up by government as a cheaper alternative to sea links for decongesting vehicular traffic in Mumbai.
            
Main Points about the Project
***        34 km long coastal stretch to  decongest Mumbai Traffic
****     To be constructed along western line -- Nariman Point To Kandivali
****     To Transform Mumbai into Global City of Repute
****     Project not to breach high-tide line and will be within 300-400m of coastline
*****   Rs 10 Thousand Crore estimated cost
****     Proposed four-lane road to have two corridors totally reserved for BRTS to make  public transport more effective
*****  Will cost one-sixth of sea-link project cost
****    Opportunity to create 91 hectares of open and green spaces
****    Project to have two undersea tunnels to avoid construction of road in     
            congested  area
****    Inclusion of Promenades, gardens, playgrounds and public spaces
****    Project’s estimated completion period within five-six years
****    Conceived and to be completed on Public-Private Partnership model