Mumbai: Coastal Road North project begins work in non-CRZ zone at Goregaon

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC has commenced onground work in the NonCRZ zone of Goregaon under Package B of the ambitious Mumbai Coastal Road North Project aimed at easing traffic congestion across the cityrsquos western suburbsAdditional Municipal Commissioner Projects Abhijit Bangar conducted a detailed inspection of the site and reviewed progress on all three key packagesmdashA B and Cmdashof the Versova to Bhayandar corridor He directed officials to accelerate the pace of work and coordinate effectively with various government agencies to eliminate procedural and logistical bottlenecksThe 12kilometre stretch currently under development in Goregaon falls outside the Coastal Regulation Zone CRZ allowing BMC to begin foundational work Bangar reiterated that no work in CRZdesignated areas can commence without the necessary permissionsThe project recently received Stage1 inprinciple approval from the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change MoEFampCC for the diversion of mangrove areas a significant milestone expected to expedite further construction Following the clearance Bangar inspected various sites under the three project packages He held discussions with engineers from the BMCrsquos bridges department and project consultants regarding road alignments and potential design improvementsHe also visited the VersovaBandra Sea Link VBSeL project site currently being developed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation MSRDC While reviewing the progress of the doubledecker bridge Bangar expressed concern over possible congestion near the JVPD arm of the flyover He suggested examining the feasibility of an additional arm and road widening to maintain smooth traffic flowAs part of his inspection Bangar reviewed layouts near MHADArsquos Aram Nagar in Andheri West and the Central Institute of Fisheries Education At Yari Road he inspected an underconstruction bridge near the AmarnathndashBadrinath Housing Society which includes a 110meter baskettype span bridge over a creek Encroachments in the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Nagar area were identified as obstacles that need to be cleared to avoid project delaysAt the Mad interchange which will connect Versova to Mad Bangar directed officials to clarify land availability with MHADA At the Lokhandwala interchange a spaceconstrained area near a law college and the Bhagat Singh flyover the original groundlevel rotary model has been revised A new threetier flyover system is planned to ensure seamless signalfree movement through the intersectionUnder Package B initial groundwork for a cablestayed bridge is underway with road alignment extending from Maladrsquos Mindspace area and a proposed interchange leading to Goregaon Foundation work is ongoing along a 600meter stretch in Malad and a 12km NonCRZ stretch in GoregaonBangar also reviewed plans to relocate a hightension electricity tower near Oberoi Mall in Goregaon He held discussions with Adani Electricity and directed officials to explore using MHADA land for the relocationIn Package C tunneling work requires the creation of a shaft for which part of the land is owned by a private developer While adjoining government land is already available Bangar instructed the acquisition of a portion of the private land to facilitate uninterrupted progressWith the Stage1 clearance from MoEFampCC in place the BMC is moving ahead with preparatory work including land acquisition and clearances However actual construction in CRZ areas will only commence after receiving formal working permission from the Bombay High CourtBangar emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum in nonCRZ zones while simultaneously completing the required procedures in CRZ areas to ensure the timely execution of the project