Mankhurd T-junction revamp advances but mangroves to go

MUMBAI: The plan to decongest the T Junction at Mankhurd can finally move forward, with the state environment authorities giving the go-ahead to clear 203,040 sq feet of mangrove land to enable the shifting of six major electricity transmission lines that bring power to Mumbai

MUMBAI: The plan to decongest the T Junction at Mankhurd can finally move forward, with the state environment authorities giving the go-ahead to clear 203,040 sq feet of mangrove land to enable the shifting of six major electricity transmission lines that bring power to Mumbai.

Shifting the lines will allow two new flyovers to be built, linking the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd flyover to the Sion-Panvel highway. Large volumes of traffic will then bypass the T-Junction and ease massive traffic bottlenecks during peak hours on the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road (GMLR) towards Navi Mumbai.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) approved the BMC’s proposal to permit the construction of 13 new towers to accommodate the six transmission lines in the ecosensitive zone of the Thane Creek. The go-ahead was given in September but formally recorded on October 14.

The six transmission lines are the 110 kV Old Waghivali-Chembur Line, 110 kV Waghival-Chembur Line, 110 kV Parel-Mankhurd Line, 220 kV Waghivali Dharavi 8 Line, the 220 kV Waghivali Dharavi-linked Antop Hill 1 Line, and 110 kV Waghivali Mankhurd Line.

At the meeting, the BMC said shifting the Extra-High Voltage transmission towers would provide vertical clearance for the construction of the two flyover arms along the GMLR. Considering the fixed alignment of the flyover, dense urban conditions and the construction of transmission towers being a site-specific activity, no alternatives had been examined, said the civic body.

In its environment impact assessment (EIA) report, the BMC said mangrove clearance would be restricted to tower-footing locations and essential working areas. The area, in Mankhurd, is bounded by dense slum habitation on one side and the Sion-Panvel Highway on the other, resulting in continuous high noise levels and human activity, according to the report. Even though the alignment of the towers passes through the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, the EIA report claimed no flamingoes or other birds in large congregations were recorded within the project site.

The BMC said each of the 13 transmission towers will require 225 sq m for foundation and erection of the tower. The MCZMA noted that mangrove clearance within these footprints will result in localised habitat modification within the core zone and 0.44 hectares within the notified Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of the flamingo sanctuary. Additional temporary disturbance may occur due to the creation of tower access routes for transportation of construction materials and machinery, the MCZMA has noted.

The MCZMA has also underlined that sufficient ground clearance and vertical distance must be maintained for safe passage of birds and animals and to avoid electrocution of birds with a large wingspan.

Additional municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar said, “This will help us expedite the project and help us in early completion.’’

Environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanshakti said, “It is a new norm that all projects go through mangroves and all agencies and institutions which are supposed to protect the mangroves are complicit in their destruction. The farcical mitigation has been exposed in other projects.’’