Mumbai: The much-awaited Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) is expected to get its final clearance from the regional expert committee of the state forest dept this month. However, the tender for the poster project would not be floated till the the Lok Sabha election is over. The project has already got a green signal from the National Board of Wildlife (NBW), the Maharashtra State Board of Wildlife and eco-sensitive zone clearances.
The Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Vijay Singhal said the approval regarding afforestation is pending, but the BMC is expecting a clearance within this month. “The BMC will get the final clearance of the state forest department for the GMLR project in this month,” said Singhal.
However, the AMC added the tender would not be floated till the end of the Lok Sabha election. “If all goes well, we will float the tender only after election by June,” said Singhal.
Singhal added the environment would not be harmed as the BMC will construct a tunnel under the national park. “A tunnel will be constructed underneath the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP). This would not impact the environment of the national park,” Singhal said.
According to the GMLR blueprint, it will be connecting Film City, Goregaon, and Mulund. Its length will be 12.7 kms; the six-lane road’s 4.7-km-long stretch will be a twin-tunnel road with 3+3 lanes running underneath the SGNP.
It was first proposed in the 1960s as an east-west connector. However, the project got delayed in want of various permissions. In its budget for the financial year 2019-20, the civic body has made an allocation of Rs100 crore for the GMLR. After its construction, the GMLR will be the fourth east-west connecting link road after Santacruz-Chembur , Andheri-Ghatkopar and Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Roads.
