Mumbai : The fate of the Rs 8,500 crore coastal road project in Maharashtra will be decided on June 8 when the Centre and state government are slated to meet.
The Centre is insisting that the state government enact a law which allows reclamation of the land while ensuring no real estate development.
The state government, on the other hand, has said the Centre should amend the Coastal Zone Regulations 2011 and give approval to the project through an executive order.
The 35-km coastal road will connect South Mumbai and Kandivali in North Mumbai.
The project was conceived by the Congress-NCP government after it decided to drop the extension of the Bandra Worli sea link project up to Haji Ali.
After the assembly elections held last year, the BJP-led government decided to pursue the project. The coastal road project is part of the Rs 60,000 crore transport infrastructure projects being undertaken by the state government.
A government official, who is associated with the coastal road project development, told Business Standard, “The Centre has been quite cooperative and it is expected that a positive outcome is possible during the proposed meeting between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the union minister of state for environment and forests Prakash Javadekar slated for June 8.”
The official admitted that the Centre wants legal safeguards so that land sharks don’t exploit the situation. He added that the state government has made it clear that the reclaimed land will not be used for commercial purposes.
The Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation has already prepared a project plan and the civic body is expected to kick start development early next year after the approval.
Fadnavis recently announced that the coastal road project will be completed in two years once the construction starts.
