The state government’s ambitious 22-km-long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL), which will connect the city with Navi Mumbai, is expected to see the light of day in 2016, as the forest advisory committee (FAC) of the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) will give its final clearance in the next 15 days. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the chairman of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Authority (MMRDA), said, “As per our commitment, we will float the tenders for the
MTHL project by March 2016.” The FAC, in a meeting with the MMRDA commissioner U.P.S. Madan on Thursday, had recommended that the MMRDA revisit and meet certain conditions before the forest clearance for the MTHL is issued.
“So, now after completing the conditions of the following recommendation, we are confident of receiving the final nod for the MTHL in the next 15 days,” said a senior bureaucrat of the MMRDA.
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had agreed to fund 80 per cent of the estimated project cost of '11,000 crore and the remaining 20 per cent was proposed to be made available by the Centre. “We have all the necessary clearances for the project now, and once the notification on it is out, we will formally complete all the talks with JICA related to the financing of the project. Our target is that people should be able to start using the MTHL by 2019. We are also committed towards giving the city a housing regulatory authority by February 2016,” added Mr Fadnavis.
The CM on Saturday also released the BMC’s revised building proposal approval manual for construction permit guidelines in the city. Earlier, this week, MMRDA got the costal regulation zone (CRZ) clearance from the MoEF. The MMRDA had to approach the MoEF to procure permissions for the diversion of 47 hectares of forest land in Uran, by which the project will pass.
“Once the notification is formally out, the MMRDA will start the procedure for shifting the mangroves from Uran to the alternative sites in Konkan, Sindhudurg and Raigad districts,” said a MMRDA official.
