MSRDC wants 110 hectares of forest for new multimodal corridor

MSRDC says 15.88 hectares of forest in Palghar, 67.02 hectares in Thane and 27.49 hectares in Raigad district will need to be cleared for the project. Representation pic

Mumbai and its adjoining areas of Palghar, Thane and Raigad district stand to lose 110 hectares of forest, equivalent to 12 Oval Maidans, for a multimodal corridor that will come up between Navghar near Vasai and Chirner village in Uran Tehsil.

Project executor Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation has sought clearance from the Union environment ministry saying it will need to divert the green patch for the new route.

MSRDC has said that 15.88 hectares of forest in Palghar, 67.02 hectares in Thane and 27.49 hectares in Raigad district will have to make way for the project. A multimodal corridor is a single network that can accommodate buses, bus rapid transport, Metro and cars along with utilities like water, sewage and gas lines.

The road development body has justified the R16,000-crore project on the grounds that while the Mumbai Metropolitan Region is one of the fastest-growing metropolises in India and is ranked the sixth-largest metropolitan region in the world, areas like Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mira Bhayander have also witnessed economic growth.

"The region's primacy in the economic well-being of India cannot be underrated. Maintaining and enhancing the vitality of this metropolis and achieving sustainable growth is pivotal towards realising the larger development objectives and quality of goals of India," it has said in its proposal to the Centre.

MSRDC says the multimodal corridor has been planned keeping in mind the limitations of physical and social infrastructure in the area. "Given the growth dynamics and dimensions of transportation problems and to plan and develop a sustainable transportation system in the region as a part of a comprehensive study on transportation of MMR, a multimodal corridor was proposed," it said.

The 80-km corridor will be passing through a forested stretch of 8.71 kilometres. It will have eight interchanges, 28 vehicular underpasses, 16 pedestrian underpasses and 120 culverts. Once completed, MSRDC said, it will provide high-speed movement within Palghar, Thane and Raigad and will benefit about 10 growth areas identified for the future development, ultimately uplifting the standard of nearly 3.5 million people by 2041.