Coastal authority clears Revas-Reddi Highway expansion in Ratnagiri

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority has granted clearance for the expansion of a major portion of the Revas-Reddi Coastal Highway in India. The expansion will involve increasing the number of lanes from two to four and will be carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. The project aims to improve the existing road and boost the tourism industry, but there are concerns about the impact on turtle nesting sites and other ecologically important areas.

Mumbai: The expansion of a major portion of Revas-Reddi Coastal Highway (MSH-4), from two lanes to four, has been cleared by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

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The CRZ clearance has been presently granted for Package II in Ratnagiri —out of four — which starts from Bankot and terminates at Jaigad near Jindal Thermal Power plant, passing through Kelshi, Dapoli, Guhagar and Vijaygad. The expansion is being carried out by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).

“Currently, there is no through road from Maharashtra border to Goa border along the coastline. The MSH-4 coastline road is available in a segmental manner due to long creeks. Due to this discontinuity, road users or tourists have some restrictions to plan their trips,” the MCZMA noted while clearing the project.

“To avoid such difficulties and to provide a boost for tourism industry, it is necessary to improve the existing MSH 04 with constructing creek bridges all along the Maharashtra coastline as a priority,” MCZMA noted about the project, which will pass by closely to multiple turtle nesting grounds.

According to the documents tabled by MSRDC, “In Ratnagiri, the Kelshi beach turtle nesting site is 50 metres away from the proposed project while Velas nesting site and Anjarle nesting sites are 130 and 210 metres away from the proposed project respectively.

“At Dabhol, the proposed alignment passes over the turtle nesting site. Here, the turtle nesting site is spread along the creek where a bridge is proposed and the distance between two pillars is kept at 150 metres. Hence, the turtle nesting site will not be disturbed.”

“There is no impact on three sites at Kelshi, Velas and Anjarle. However, at Dabhol, the bridge is passing through turtle nesting site,” the MCZMA observed, mandating that the construction work should not be carried out during turtle nesting season between October and March.

Noise barriers will also be installed between the construction area and the turtle nesting site to mitigate any impact at Dabhol.

“All the necessary measures in consultation with mangroves cell shall be implemented so that the said area is not disturbed. There shall not be lighting arrangement at road section near turtle nesting site,” the MCZMA said. Light pollution can hamper the movement of hatchlings back into the sea.

Further south in Sindhudurg, the highway will also pass through the eco-sensitive buffer zone of the Malvan Marine Sanctuary, pass over coral reefs at Kunkeshwar beach and through sand dunes at Mithmumbari, the documents show. This portion of the project is still awaiting CRZ clearance.

The road will also pass over several ecologically important water bodies, including the Taramumbri, Naringri, Achara, Gad, Karli and Mochemad rivers, and the Kelus Creek.

A conservation expert working with the forest department, who is familiar with the ecology of the south Konkan coast, said, “There doesn’t seem to be any need for alarm at present because in most places the alignment is passing away from the actual nesting sites.

“There is a lot of community support to protect beaches in the region, because of tourism, so there will be some resistance from locals. But yes, there will be increased traffic, and development across the region will get a boost because of this highway expansion.

“The ensuing development needs to be planned very carefully to conserve the turtle nesting sites.”

Package II of the project alone will also damage four hectares of mangroves and six hectares of intertidal area, the MCZMA has noted.