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The Rs. 8,800-crore Mumbai Trans Harbour Sea Link (MTHL) seemsstuck till it gets a go-ahead from the National Green Tribunal(NGT), which has said that there are "substantial questionsrelating to environment" in the project to be built on theSewri mudflats, where hundreds of birds including migratoryflamingos flock every year. After Dilip Nevatia, a Mumbai resident, filed an application,Justice A. S. Naidu, acting chairperson, and Prof. R. Nagendran,expert member of the NGT, on May 24 issued notice to the Ministryof Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the Mumbai MetropolitanRegion Development Authority (MMRDA), which is executing theproject through Public-Private Partnership. Counsel for appellant Ritwick Dutta told The Hindu on the phone that the main issue is that Environmental Clearance(EC) for the project was issued seven years ago and the MoEF saidit hadn't been extended, according to a query under the Right toInformation (RTI) Act. Mr. Dutta said the public hearing for the project was held in 1999,and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prepared a few yearslater said there was nothing of ecological significance in thearea. Many parameters have changed since then and a fresh EIA wasnecessary, he said. While admitting the appeal, the NGT said: "We feel that thereare substantial questions relating to environment involved in thiscase which need to be considered." The NGT felt that the ends of justice and equity would be met ifthe MMRDA was directed to complete the tender process but refrainfrom taking any final decision or issuing the work order, if itwasn't already issued, without getting prior permission from theTribunal. The matter will be heard on July 4. Earlier in May, an MMRDA expert panel shortlisted five eligibleconsortiums to develop the MTHL project. The MTHL will need freshEnvironmental Clearance (EC), since the first one was issued onMarch 11, 2005, with 24 specific and 18 general conditions. As perthe Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 1994, theEC was valid for five years, and expired on March 10, 2010. MTHL will pass through a large area of approximately 2.1 km of theSewri and Nhava mudflats, visited by migrant flamingos in winterand some other birds every year. Restrictions could be imposedduring construction. The Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology andNatural History, Coimbatore, in its 2008 study of the migratorybirds and the project, said construction work should be conductedduring the period when the migratory birds aren't in residence.Already flamingos had moved away from the Sewri port area, probablybecause of ship repair activities nearby. The 22-km MTHL, which will be the longest sea bridge in the countrywhen completed, connects Sewri in the island city of Mumbai toNhava in Navi Mumbai, and has a 16.5 km-long bridge across Mumbaiharbour and 5.5-km-long viaduct approaches on the Sewri and Nhavasides. The proposal is for a six-lane freeway, and a broad-gaugedouble-line rail link from Sewri to Nhava on the north, withconnections to the railway at Sewri and Uran Panvel rail link. Debi Goenka of the Conservation Action Trust said the rail link maynot be built at first. Since the project needs a fresh EC, then anEnvironmental Impact Assessment and public hearing would bemandatory, he pointed out. According to the minutes of the 74th meeting of the MaharashtraCoastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) which scrutinised theproposal submitted by the MMRDA in January 2012 for CoastalRegulation Zone (CRZ) clearance, the MCZMA discussed the proposaland felt that all environmental aspects should be studied andanalysed carefully. It also noted that this link project wouldreduce the travel time of commuters, and decided to recommend theproposal to MoEF, subject to conditions which include noreclamation of land in the area, mangrove replantation andprovision for noise barriers along the viaduct among the rest ofthe aspects. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) had also met the MMRDAand demanded that the MTHL be shifted 500 metres south. However,this wasn't agreed to. Isaac Kehimkar of the BNHS, who was present,said the BNHS isn't opposing the bridge but its location couldpresent a threat to the migratory flamingos. More than 10,000 birdscome every year in winter and stay till July, and they feed in theshallow waters of the Mahul Creek. While the MMRDA said it wouldtry to keep disturbance to a minimum while construction was goingon, this would be difficult in practice. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as China Geological Drilling Rig , Waterwell Drilling Rig, and more. For more , please visit Core Drilling Rig today!
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