Up to 382 trees are slated for impact to enhance the existing service road alongside the Eastern Freeway, stretching from Bhakti Park to Jijamata Chowk in south Mumbai, The Indian Express reported.
As per the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) notification, about 316 tress will be cut down and 66 trees will be transplanted.
National Green Tribunal’s notice
A week ago, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to the BMC, along with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for the city’s depleting green cover.
Civic officials stated that the proposed service road will span 4 kilometers, with a budget allocation of Rs 62 crore designated for the project.
A civic official said that there is a main road lying under the the Eastern Freeway flyover that extends between Daya Shankar Marg and Bombay Port Trust (BPT), adjoining which the service road will be created.
“Earlier, this road was maintained by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and it was handed over to BMC after the freeway was formally opened. Therefore, we decided to create this service road since the width of the existing road was inadequate,” the official said.
The officials reiterated that the new road will be built directly beneath the flyover, running parallel to the freeway. “The current width of the existing road is 40 metres, while it should ideally have been 60 metres. The BMC’s Development Plan of 2034 also mandates creation of a 10 metre wide service road, alongside any main road. Due to the lack of adequate space, emergency vehicles like ambulance and fire engines face difficulties while passing through this route,” the official said.
Prior to proceeding with the project, the BMC enlisted a project management consultant to map out the road alignment. The contractor for this project was appointed in 2022.
The Indian Express previously reported that from 2018 to 2023, the BMC had cut down a total of 21,028 trees to accommodate diverse infrastructure projects in Mumbai.