Coastal road just cleared its last hurdle

MUMBAI: The central government on Wednesday cleared the decks for the proposed coastal road connecting Nariman Point to Kandivli. A notification was issued allowing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to reclaim seafront and mangroves, thus clearing the last hurdle for the longstanding project.
Of the 34.56km length of the road, 11.61km will be constructed on reclaimed land over 168.08 hectares.No toll will be charged initially on this road which aims to solve the city’s traffic congestion woes.
With the notification being issued, the civic body can now invite tenders for the work and it can also begin work to reclaim land, said an official.
The road will be elevated at certain stretches and will run into tunnels at other points. Land will be reclaimed at nine points along the entire length of the coastal road, five of which will be in the island city.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had recently met central ministers in New Delhi to discuss the coastal road project, the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link and conservation of the Western Ghats.
The coastal road project had been lying in limbo since the tenure of the previous government.
In a tweet, Fadnavis thanked the Centre: “Thank you Hon Modiji and Prakash Javdekar ji for issuing notification allowing construction of Mumbai Coastal Road. It’s a dream come true for Mumbaikars.”
The civic body will be the executing agency of the project and the state urban development department will supervise it.
Sources said that the notification issued also insists on measures to avoid long-term damage to the environment.