Mumbai News: Centre Approves Forest Land Diversion For Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Twin Tunnels Beneath SGNP; BMC To Begin Work On ₹6,548 Crore Project

Mumbai: The BMC has received final approval from the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) for diverting 19.43 hectares of forest land for the construction of twin tunnels under the ambitious Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. The tunnels, passing beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Borivali, will each span 4.7 kilometers in length and 45.7 meters in width.

Under Phase 3(B) of the GMLR project, a 1.22-km triple-lane box tunnel at Film City and twin tunnels beneath SGNP will be constructed, forming a 6.65-km corridor including link roads. The twin tunnels will run 20 to 160 metres underground, with cross-passages every 300 metres. They will feature advanced lighting, ventilation, fire safety, CCTV, and control rooms at both ends. Utility ducts for drainage and future water pipelines are also integrated beneath the tunnels.

To facilitate tunnel construction, the state government submitted a proposal to the Centre seeking approval for forest land diversion. After detailed scrutiny, the MoEF&CC granted in-principle approval on January 2, 2024.

Final clearance was issued on Tuesday under Section 2 of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, permitting the diversion of reserved forest land to the BMC. The BMC has since begun compliance procedures as per the stipulated conditions.

Abhijeet Bangar, Additional Municipal Commissioner (project) stated, "While forest land has been diverted to the BMC, its legal status within SGNP remains unchanged. The tunnel will run underground, avoiding any impact on surface land or trees. All state-recommended environmental safeguards will be implemented. As per Forest Conservation Rules, 2023, a compensatory afforestation plan covering 19.5 hectares in Chandrapur district is being prepared."

Mumbai News: BMC Initiates Goregaon-Mulund Link Road Twin Tunnel Realignment, Set To Speed Up Travel With 12.2 Km Tunnel By 2028

The BMC aims to complete the twin tunnels by October 2028. The 12.2-km GMLR will connect the Western Express Highway at Goregaon with the Eastern Express Highway at Mulund, cutting travel time from 75 to 25 minutes. The project, being executed in four phases, has a total cost of Rs 14,000 crore including Rs 6,548 crore for the twin tunnels. Once complete, it will provide seamless east-west connectivity across Mumbai.