Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Friday granted permission to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to proceed with the proposed Coastal Road North — the 26.3-km Versova–Bhayander Development Plan (DP) road — a project that will involve the felling of up to about 45,000 mangroves. The court was hearing BMC’s plea seeking approval as the project impacts protected mangrove areas.
Accepting a suggestion made by senior advocate Aspi Chinoy for the civic body, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad said it would keep the matter pending for 10 years and require the BMC to submit annual updates on compensatory mangrove plantation.
The road project is intended to provide a vital connectivity link between Mumbai and Mira Bhayander. According to the BMC, 45,675 of the nearly 60,000 mangroves on the project land may need to be cut. In return, the corporation has proposed planting three times that number, along with undertaking statutory afforestation over 103 hectares in Chandrapur district.
The BMC informed the court that about 102 hectares of forest land, largely mangroves, would be affected. Of this, the actual road construction would directly impact around 10 hectares, equivalent to roughly 9,000 mangrove trees. A site inspection by the mangroves division in September 2024 found that permanent construction would require just over 8 hectares, leading to the loss of 4,459 mangroves, with another 4,300 affected elsewhere. While around 36,925 mangroves on the remaining 68.5 hectares would be damaged, the BMC said these areas could be restored through compensatory planting after construction.
The proposed road will start at Versova, pass through Mumbai’s western suburbs up to Dahisar, and terminate at Mira Bhayander. It will extend the existing Coastal Road South and the operational Worli–Bandra Sea Link, and link with the under-construction Bandra–Versova Sea Link. Under an earlier High Court ruling in a public interest litigation on mangrove protection, any project — including public infrastructure — that affects mangroves requires the court’s prior approval.
While such permissions typically mandate compensatory afforestation at three times the number of trees felled and disclosure of details on official websites, Chinoy suggested a more effective oversight mechanism. He urged the court to keep the case pending and require yearly compliance reports. “This would ensure continuous supervision and accountability, rather than data remaining untracked on a website,” he submitted. The bench agreed.
The court directed that the BMC place its annual report before it on the second Monday of every new year, starting from 2027. The detailed order is expected next week.
The BMC told the court that the project would slash travel time between Versova and Mira Bhayander from nearly two hours to under 20 minutes, while also reducing the distance by about 10 km, from 33.6 km to 23.2 km. Senior BMC officials, including executive engineers and a techno-legal expert appointed for the project, were present during the hearing.
The civic body said it had sought coastal regulation clearance from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) in August 2024, based on a rapid Environmental Impact Assessment prepared by the Centre of Envotech and Management Consultancy. Clearance was granted last year. The BMC added that nearly 19 hectares of the project area would not disturb any mangroves.
For compensatory measures, the principal chief conservator of forests (mangrove cell) has identified 84 hectares of land in Palghar district — around Boisar, Dahanu and Vasai — where over 1.3 lakh mangroves will be planted. The plan also includes fencing and maintenance for 10 years. In its response, the MCZMA said the project does not fall within an eco-sensitive zone and that the alignment does not affect any archaeological or heritage sites.
