The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has sought permission from the Forest Department to cut over 1,000 mangrove trees for the Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL). This will take some time as the corporation will first need an approval from the Bombay High Court before they can commence work, which on Monday had said that the State cannot permit destruction of mangroves for private, commercial or any other use unless the court finds it necessary for public interest.
“We have sought permission to cut around 1,000 mangroves at the Versova Connector and 15 at the Otters Club Connector in Bandra. Since it is for public good, there should be no issues getting permission from the High Court,” an MSRDC official said. The Corporation had factored in time to procure them as this had been the practice for several years due to a similar interim order by the High Court, he added.
MSRDC is gearing up to commence work as soon as possible. Last week the District Collector transferred 13.1 hectares of land, an official said. “We received 7.8 hectares for a casting yard at Juhu Koliwada and another 3 hectares for the Juhu Connector, and 2.3 hectares for the Versova Connector. It was crucial for us to get space for the casting yard as it will serve as the base for the connectors.”
MSRDC has also applied for a No Objection Certificate from the Airports Authority of India as the pylons at sections of the bridge will be 54 metres-tall, which should come soon, officials said. The permissible limit is 60 metres.
MSRDC received bank guarantees worth ₹735 crore from the consortium of Reliance Infrastructure - Astaldi S.p.A (Italy) for the project last week, for which the contract was signed on September 4. The consortium won the engineering, procurement and construction contract for ₹6,993.99 crore.
The 17.17-km-long VBSL will have exits at Bandra, Juhu Koliwada and Versova and is expected to cut travel time between Versova to Worli to 15 minutes. Construction is supposed to commence in October and the project is slated to be completed by 2023.
