State coastal body nod for Bandra-Versova sea-link

The state’s coastal authority, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) on Friday, gave the green light to the proposal submitted by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the state-floated company that is implementing the project.

You can finally look forward to zipping from Bandra to Versova on a sea bridge.

The state’s coastal authority, Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) on Friday, gave the green light to the proposal submitted by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the state-floated company that is implementing the project.

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The state coastal panel, which scrutinises all projects falling in the coastal regulatory zone (CRZ), will now forward this proposal to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) for a final clearance.

The state coastal body had considered the project in April and had asked the MSRDC to fulfill certain conditions. "They have complied with all our conditions which include getting a clearance from the cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure, submitting detailed CRZ maps of the alignment of the sea link and conducting an environment impact assessment of the project. We have cleared the project now and forwarded it to the MoEF," said Valsa Nair Singh, environment secretary and MCZMA member.

Once the project gets the MoEF’s approval, the MSRDC will float tenders for the project.

The 10 km sea link will be built 900 metres into the sea and will have two inlets or connectors for vehicles – one at Otters Club on Carter Road and the other at Juhu Koliwada.

The project is estimated to cost around Rs 4,000 crore and its completion is expected by 2015.

Once the project is complete, traffic on congested roads such as SV Road and the Western Express Highway is likely to ease.