The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to consider listing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation`s plea seeking a nod to fell more trees for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project, subject to compensatory afforestation, reported news agency PTI.
The top court had permitted the civic body`s tree authority to allow felling of 95 trees for the project on August 14.
On Thursday, the BMC counsel informed the bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran that more trees are needed to be felled and this aspect should be considered at the earliest, subject to compensatory afforestation, reported PTI.
The bench agreed to consider listing the plea for a hearing.
The GMLR project aims at developing road connectivity from Western Express Highway to Eastern Express Highway to reduce travel time by almost an hour between Mulund and Goregaon, reported PTI.
The BMC, which is responsible for the ambitious project, sought the apex court`s permission to cut the trees for the first phase of development.
The civic body had earlier assured the bench about following rules on compensatory afforestation, including those related to geo-tagging of saplings to be planted in lieu of the felled trees.
Earlier, on October 3, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced that two major infrastructure projects—the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road and the Mumbai Coastal Road (North)—will be expedited following directives from BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.
During the inspection, Gagrani emphasised the need to fast-track the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road project and accelerate processes for obtaining necessary permissions and No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the Mumbai Coastal Road (North) section stretching from Versova to Bhayandar. He also directed officials to complete land acquisition required for the road alignment at the earliest.
Gagrani reviewed Stage 3(B) of the Goregaon–Mulund Link Road project, including the triple-tube cut-and-cover tunnel at Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari in Goregaon and twin tunnels near Borivali adjacent to Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Stage 3 spans a total length of 6.65 km. The twin tunnels, each 4.7 km long and 45.7 meters wide, are being constructed underground at depths ranging from 20 to 160 meters and will be interconnected at intervals of 300 meters. Each tunnel is designed with state-of-the-art facilities, including advanced lighting, ventilation, fire safety systems, CCTV surveillance, and control rooms at both ends. Provisions have also been made for underground stormwater drainage and utility pipelines.
A high-tech Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) imported from Japan has already been deployed for the underground tunnel at Dadasaheb Phalke Chitranagari, with a second TBM expected to arrive by December 2025. Shaft excavation work is currently underway, with 3.5 meters of the shaft already completed.
Following the Goregaon–Mulund inspection, Gagrani visited the Mumbai Coastal Road (North) project site at Charkop, reviewing ongoing and planned work under Packages B, C, D, and E. He assessed multiple locations along the Versova–Bhayandar corridor, including Malad Marina Enclave, Sector 8 Charkop, Gorai Artillery Grounds, Gorai Creek Area, Excelsior and Kandarpada Metro Station Areas, and Anand Park in Dahisar (West). Special attention was given to land availability for casting yards, construction activity, and access roads to ensure smooth progress of the project.
