Mumbai, Feb 13: As part of the Mumbai Coastal Road (MCRP) North Project, 348 trees in Versova are set to be affected, including 80 inside Nana Nani Park. The BMC has put up notices inside the park, triggering anger among residents who say they were blindsided. For locals, this isn’t just about trees. It’s about losing one of the few breathing spaces left in an already choking suburb.
Phase II expansion and environmental cost
The 20-km Coastal Road will connect Versova to Dahisar at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore. With the first phase from Marine Drive to the Worli end of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link already open, Phase II aims to link the island city to the western suburbs — but at a significant environmental cost.
However, the elevated stretch from the Versova interchange to Bangur Nagar is set to impact 348 trees, while 1,113 trees have been identified along the Package A alignment at the interchange.
Notices under Trees Act trigger concern
The BMC pasted notices on several of the 80 trees inside Nana Nani Park marked for felling under Package A of the Coastal Road Phase II project. The notices have been placed on trees along the park’s western edge, signalling the stretch most likely to be cleared.
Citing Section 8(3) of the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, the notice states that permission has been sought to remove trees in K/West ward from Versova Interchange to Bangur Nagar — a procedural step that signals the likely loss of these park trees.
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Total tree impact and fishing community concerns
For Phase II of the Coastal Road, a total of 1,244 trees are expected to be affected along the full stretch up to Dahisar. Last year, local fishing communities raised strong objections, warning that the project would severely disrupt fishing activities along the Malvani, Marve and Charkop belts — threatening livelihoods and potentially forcing many small, traditional operators to shut down.
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