Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link project gets green ministry’s nod

The sea link, which will connect the island city at Sewri to Chirle, Nhava, on the mainland, has had several false starts. With MoEFCC’s nod, the state government hopes to issue tenders for the project by March-end and begin work by year-end

The much-awaited 22-km Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project may finally get off the ground after an expert appraisal committee (EAC) of the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) gave its go ahead.

The sea link, which will connect the island city at Sewri to Chirle, Nhava, on the mainland, has had several false starts. (File photo)

The sea link, which will connect the island city at Sewri to Chirle, Nhava, on the mainland, has had several false starts. With MoEFCC’s nod, the state government hopes to issue tenders for the project by March-end and begin work by year-end.

The minutes of the EAC meeting of December 30, issued on Friday, said the committee recommended granting approval for the project. The clearance came after the committee considered the revised Rs335-crore environment management plan of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) as well as state’s arguments as to why the project did not require scrutiny under the Environment Impact Assessment notification (EIA), 2006.

HT had reported on January 8 that the Centre was expected to give a go ahead to the project.

The EAC on infrastructure, CRZ-affected projects appraised the sea bridge following an order from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in October last year, which had stayed the coastal clearance for six months.

The NGT had asked the ministry to check the impact of the sea link on the mangroves and mud flats, which are a habitat for flamingoes. It had also asked the ministry to take a decision on whether the EIA notification, 2006, was applicable for the project. An EIA scrutiny would mean carrying out impact assessment studies and holding a public hearing for the project.

The EAC accepted the state’s argument that the project does not require clearance under the EIA notification. The state had argued that the project needed only a coastal nod as clause 8 of the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ), 2011, had specifically allowed construction of sea links built on stilts, pillars that did not affect tidal flow of water.

The committee noted the state had assured that there would be no lack of funds for environment mitigation measures and that the proposed plan would be adhered to.

“After the EAC go ahead, the ministry will now send us a formal approval for the project. We are expecting this on both environment as well as forest diversion issue. We have been told it has already been granted today [Friday], but we are yet to receive this communication,” said UPS Madan, MMRDA commissioner.