Goregoan-Mulund Link Road project gets green light from wildlife board

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project worth Rs 4,678 crore has crossed a major hurdle after it received a nod from the National Board for Wildlife(NBW) on Monday. The only other approval pending is from the forest department as the rest of the clearances required for this big-ticket project are already in place.

GMLR will connect Film City, Goregaon and Mulund via a 12.7km six-lane road. It will be the fourth east-west connectivity link road after Santacruz-Chembur Link Road, Andheri-Ghatkopar Link Road, and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. As per the BMC’s plan, 4.7km of the GMLR will be a twin tunnel road with 3+3 lanes running underneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Along with this, a 1.60-km box tunnel in the premises of Film City has also been planned.

“This was an important clearance needed to kick-start the mega project. We have been waiting since a year for this clearance. There is another clearance from the forest department which is due,” said municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta.

The project had got a nod from the Maharashtra State Board of Wildlife in December and has also received eco-sensitive zone clearance.

Despite the BMC claiming that the project will not affect the ecosystem since part of it will be built underground, urban planners disagree, claiming that the project will have an impact on the biodiversity and wildlife in some ways. Pankaj Joshi, executive director of Urban Design and Research Institute, said, “There are two contradictory factors of this project. While it is a vital road link for the city, the construction will have an impact on the wildlife and biodiversity in the process. Essentially, if the project is carried out with control to minimise its impact, it will be a good project for the city.”

The GMLR is expected to reduce traffic on the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, which faces severe congestion during peak hours. The BMC also claims it will ease congestion on the Ghodbunder Road in Thane. A provision of Rs 100 crore has been made for the project in the BMC budget 2019-20.

First Published: Feb 26, 2019 14:41 IST