Mumbai: The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has deferred clearance to the proposed Tawa-Bharvir road project, which would connect the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway with the Vadhavan port, as the alignment lies very close to the Vaitarna dam, which supplies water to Mumbai.
According to the minutes of the EAC meeting held on July 15-16, the current alignment may pose risks to the overall safety of the dam, and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is executing the project, must explore alternative alignment options to minimise potential impact on the dam and eco-sensitive areas.
MSRDC managing director Anil Gaikwad said that during the EAC meeting, one of the committee members raised concerns on the basis of online maps. “Now, they have formed a sub-committee which will visit the spot and suggest some changes,’’ Gaikwad said.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is already constructing an expressway from the Vadhavan port till Tawa on NH-48. The proposed Tawa-Bharvir road would extend this expressway till Bharvir Khurd near Igatpuri on Samruddhi Expressway.
The minutes of the EAC meeting, finalised on July 28, said that approximately 212.16 hectares of forest land was likely to be affected by the Tawa-Bharvir road project, and the application for obtaining forest clearance was under process. The current route would pass through eight villages falling within the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) of the Western Ghats, out of which five villages are located within the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area, as per the notification dated June 20, 1991, the minutes said.
{{/usCountry}}The minutes of the EAC meeting, finalised on July 28, said that approximately 212.16 hectares of forest land was likely to be affected by the Tawa-Bharvir road project, and the application for obtaining forest clearance was under process. The current route would pass through eight villages falling within the Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) of the Western Ghats, out of which five villages are located within the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area, as per the notification dated June 20, 1991, the minutes said.
{{/usCountry}}Proximity to the Vaitarana dam, involvement of significant forest land and location within the Eco Sensitive Area may result in adverse ecological impacts, the minutes said. Considering the sensitivity of the project, the committee recommended that an EAC sub-committee undertake a site inspection prior to the grant of terms of reference for the project.
The 106.07-km road, being built at a cost of ₹24, 938 crore, will pass over the Darna and Deherja rivers. It will have 100 metres right of way with three lanes in each direction, and a 4.5-metre wide cart track-cum-utility corridor on both sides outside the compound wall.
In its proposal, the MSRDC said that the expressway was being constructed to attract national and foreign investors and promote industries, including IT/ITeS firms and auto components and automotive industries in the Palghar-Nashik stretch. An industrial corridor across the length of the state would prevent distress migration and provide people with job opportunities close to their dwelling place, the proposal said.
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