Madh versova bridge gets Forest clearance, HC remains

MUMBAI: MoEFCC approves ₹2,395-crore Madh-Versova bridge, pending Bombay HC clearance for mangrove diversion. BMC plans afforestation in exchange.

MUMBAI: In a step ahead for constructing a ₹2,395-crore bridge between the two coasts connected only by ferry and unavailable during the monsoon, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) gave its clearance for the Madh-Versova bridge late this week. The 2.06-km bridge will connect the Madh and Versova jetties, which would otherwise take a 90-minute detour drive.

Madh versova bridge gets Forest clearance, HC remains

The bridge now requires approval from the Bombay High Court to divert 2.7515 hectares of mangrove forest. In exchange for the diversion of the 2.75-hectare mangrove forest, the BMC has identified three hectares of land for afforestation, where it will plant three trees for each one that is sacrificed to make way for the bridge. Once HR clears, all that remains is land acquisition. The permission from the high court is expected to take two to three months, after which the BMC hopes to begin work on the bridge on the ground by October.

The bridge will be cable-stayed to reduce the number of pillars required in the mangroves, and subsequently the environmental impact. It will also connect to the Versova interchange at the north end of the Coastal Road. It has been in the works since the 1967 Development Plan.

Earlier this week, the MP Piyush Goyal met with the state minister of forests, Ganesh Naik, and called attention to the bridge, prompting the government to request permission from the MoEFCC.