MUMBAI, (Metro Rail News): Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) Metro Line-5 has been granted Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearance by Maharashtra State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). It was granted during the 217th meeting of the SEIAA.
Line-5 of Mumbai Metro is a 24.9 km-long Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan elevated corridor in the eastern suburbs. The corridor will have 17 stations and the project is expected to cost INR 8,417 crores. Earlier, Maharashtra State Coastal Zone Management Authority has recommended granting CRZ clearance to this line.
The Metro alignment of Line-5 passes through two water bodies at Kasheli Bridge in Thane and Durgadi Fort in Kalyan. Some portions of the alignment pass through CRZ-I, II & III notified areas in Thane and Kalyan. Some portions of the alignment will also pass through the Ulhas river.
This CRZ clearance will give way to MMRDA to erect 156 piers in CRZ notified areas to build the elevated corridor which will be integrated with Metro Line-4 at Kapurbawdi.
According to Dr. Sonia Sethi, Additional Metropolitan Commissioner and Project Director MUTP, MMRDA, “The SEIAA has accorded CRZ clearance to Metro Line 5 subject to certain conditions, such as necessary approvals from the MoEFCC and the Bombay High Court for mangrove areas affected.”
MMRDA has sought the MoEFCC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) approval to divert a total of 2349.5 sqm of mangrove forest land for the project which is still awaited before construction work can be initiated.
The stations on the line includes Kapurbawdi, Balkum Naka, Kasheli, Kalher, Purna, Anjur Phata, Dhamankar Naka, Bhiwandi, Gopal Nagar, Temghar, Rajnouli Village, Govegaon MIDC, Kongaon, Durgadi Fort, Sahajanand Chowk and Kalyan APMC. The project got approval from Maharashtra Government in October 2017. According to MMRDA, Metro Line-5 is expected to become operational by December 2024.