Maharashtra: Environmental clearance sought for Konkan Expressway

Officials say the project will prove a boon to motorists heading from Mumbai to Goa and the Konkan. Representation pic

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has sought environmental clearance for the six-lane-wide and 389-km-long Konkan Expressway.

An MSRDC official said, "We have sent a proposal to the environment department of the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MOEF&CC) seeking environmental clearance for the Konkan Expressway."

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According to the MSRDC official, the expressway will prove a boon to motorists heading from Mumbai to Goa as it will reduce their travel time from 12 hours to six hours and will also help promote tourism and create employment opportunities in the areas along the project.

At present, it takes at least 10 hours to travel from Mumbai to Goa via the old highway.

For many years, motorists have been complaining about the bad condition of the Mumbai-Goa Highway. According to MSRDC officials, there will be 14 interchanges on the expressway.

The 100-metre-wide expressway alignment will start at Shahbaj in Alibaug and end at Banda in the Sindhudurg district. The construction cost of the ambitious project is around Rs 68,000 crore and motorists will be able to travel via this access-controlled highway at a speed of over 100 km/h.

Around 41 tunnels are expected to be built on this corridor as well as 21 big and 41 small bridges.

Numerous challenges

While MSRDC wants to implement the project as soon as possible, the project faces challenges such as land acquisition, environmental clearances and ecological impact issues.

Public consultations and addressing local concerns are also crucial for implementing it successfully.

Boost for tourism

The Konkan is known for its natural beauty, beaches and historical sites.

The expressway is expected to make these destinations more accessible to tourists, promoting the region as a major tourist hub.

It is said that the project has been carefully designed to minimise its impact on the environment, taking into account the ecologically sensitive nature of the Western Ghats and the Konkan region.

This entails employing sustainable development methods, staying away from landslide-prone areas and conserving local flora and fauna.

The project requires a total of 3,792 hectares of land of which 146 hectares of forest land will be affected.

Rs 68K cr
Estimated cost of project