1.5 Lakh Mangroves Spread Across 19 Hectares To Be Cleared To Make Way For Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train

It has been a long-standing debate environment or development? And in most of the case development becomes a priority and environmental concerns take a back seat. In yet another such case, the expert appraisal committee of Union ministry of environment and forests have given the approval to clear some 1.5 lakh mangroves spread over 18.92 hectares to make way for the bullet train, one of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's pet projects.

BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

The National High-Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) has informed Bombay High Court that it has received the approval for the removal of mangroves in Thane, Navi Mumbai, and Palghar districts for the bullet train running between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Last month, the NHSRCL had moved the High Court after the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority refused permission to clear the mangroves forest for the project.

BCCL

In its affidavit, the NHSRCL had stated that a total of 131.3 hectares of forest area, including 32.43 hectares of mangroves will be affected by the bullet train project.

Earlier, the Maharashtra government had told the court that part of the project was passing through the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary which has been declared an Ecologically Sensitive Zone.

BCCL

According to NHSRCL the corridor will be passing through an underground tunnel inside the creek, for the construction of which the mangrove have to be cleared.

The bullet train corridor which is 508-km long connects Ahmedabad and Mumbai and reduces the travel time from six-and-a-half hours to two-and-a-half hours. The first train is set run in 2022.