National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL), the implementing agency of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor, said on June 29 that they have reworked the design of the station in Thane, Maharashtra, to reduce the number of affected mangroves from the estimated 53,000 to 32,044.
NHSRCL MD Achal Khare said in a statement that the required wildlife, forest and CRZ clearance were taken and that the forest clearance came with a few conditions. One condition required a review of the Thane station design so as to reduce the area of affected mangroves.
Modification of the design without having to change the location of the station was discussed with the Japanese engineers, Khare said.
“Parking area and passenger handling area have now been moved out of the mangrove region...Earlier, 12 hectares of mangrove region were getting affected in Thane, but now only three hectares will get affected,” he said. Instead of the estimated 53,000 mangroves, 32,044 mangroves will now be affected he added.
Khare further said that the destroyed mangroves will be compensated 1:5 by the mangroves cell through compensatoiry afforestation. The NHSRCL will deposit money into the mangrove cells for this purpose.
“1,60,000 new mangroves will be planted and the entire financial expense will be borne by NHSRCL,” he said.
Earlier, Maharashtra Transport Minister Diwakar Raote had said on June 24, in a reply to a question in the State Legislative Council, that as many as 54,000 mangroves spread over 13.36 hectares will be affected because of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail Corridor.
