After Aarey Forest, Three National Parks Under Threat, This Time For Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Project

The battle between infrastructure development and environment has begun once again. This time, a bigger area than the Aarey forest is under threat and that's because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious bullet train project. The project has put forest land and eco-sensitive zones of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP), Tungareshwar and Thane creek flamingo sanctuaries under threat.

BCCL

The project requires total 117 hectares, the eloquent of around 218 football fields, of notified Eco Sensitive Zone of SGNP and Tungareshwar WLS and its Eco Sensitive Zone.?

The bullet train project will consume 55 hectares of forest land in Thane district and 62 hectares of forest land in Palghar. Besides, more than 1.5 lakh mangrove trees will have to be uprooted.

The 508 km Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train which will cut down travel time between the two cities to just two hours. The alignment will be partially underground near Mumbai and the rest will be elevated.

AFP/REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Out of the total Rs 1,08,000.00 crore, estimated for the project, Rs 496.167 crore is to be spend on the construction of the railway line in the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, where the railway line will pass through an underground tunnel at the depth of 25 to 40 meters below the surface.

BCCL

Since the project requires the clearance of the National Board for Wildlife to go ahead it had first come before the State Board for Wildlife for consideration.?

On Wednesday the state board, headed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met to discuss the project and few others.?

"The proposed project is top priority for consideration of Prime Minister's Office and it is also on priority order of Maharashtra government being considered as highly sensitive project. The project cost is about Rs 108,000 crore," said the agenda of the meeting.?

However, the board has as of now deferred the clearance claiming that it needed more time as the agenda of the project was circulated at the last minute.

According to reports, a newly-formed committee headed by additional chief secretary Praveen Pardeshi will now look into the project's clearance.?