With two weeks to go for the final notification allowing reclamation for the ambitious coastal road project, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is likely to alter the design of the coastal road before the project is peer-reviewed. Civic officials were going to wait for the peer review report to make changes to the design, but have started considering the suggestions of various transport experts and activists. These suggestions are likely to be incorporated in the proposal that will be submitted to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).
The final notification from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, for amendments to the Coastal Regulations Zone (CRZ), 2011, which will allow the construction, is expected to be out in two weeks. The BMC has started the process of preparing a proposal to submit to MCZMA.
The proposal to be submitted to the MCZMA is likely to reduce the length of the Nariman Point-Priyadarshini Park tunnel and instead keep its starting point from Tambe chowk. The BMC is also considering relocating the Juhu beach towards sea instead, and constructing a road instead of going ahead with the Bandra- Juhu tunnel. Originally, the civic body was going to make alterations to the project’s alignment only after peer review project report, but with the announcement of the final notification two weeks away, officials have started altering the plans based on suggestions from various transport experts. Peer review consultants will be appointed by month-end. The BMC has also asked for clearances at the state level to fast track the project.
