Compensatory afforestation for GMLR near Chandrapur

Despite cutting no trees for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Project (GMLR), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will carry out compensatory afforestation

Despite cutting no trees for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Project (GMLR), the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will carry out compensatory afforestation of a 19.43-ha plot parcel near Chandrapur, as a pre-requisite for permission from the Maharashtra forest department for constructing a tunnel under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) as part of GMLR.

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BMC has identified land from compensatory afforestation at villages near Tadoba in Chandrapur, and is now looking for a consultant to carry out the transaction and purchase of the land.

The proposal will be tabled before the standing committee this week.

In March this year, a regional empowered committee of the Government of India, at Nagpur, asked the civic body to carry out compensatory afforestation.

The project already has clearance from the National Board of Wildlife.

Municipal Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi said, “We can carry out compensatory afforestation anywhere, but we have identified a private land near Chandrapur. This will enable BMC to get the final permission from the forest department.”

One of BMC’s most ambitious projects, the 14-km GMLR will be an east-west connector, beginning near the Western Express Highway at Goregaon, and ending near Nahur station in the East.

It has a 4.75-km-long tunnel that will run under SGNP. The project’s estimated cost is about ₹3,800 crore.

The reserved forest area affected by the tunnel is 19.43ha. The tunnel will run 20m under the forest, at upto 200m under the forest in one short area.