The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has moved a step closer to advancing the proposed Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road project after its Tree Authority approved six proposals involving the cutting and transplantation of more than 2,200 trees. The decision was taken on Friday and is being viewed as a significant milestone for one of Mumbai’s key infrastructure projects, despite continued opposition from residents and environmental groups.
The approved proposals cover six stretches of the planned coastal corridor across Mumbai’s western suburbs. These include sections between the Versova interchange and Bangur Nagar in Goregaon, Bangur Nagar and Mindspace in Malad, Mindspace and Madh Road, Mindspace and Charkop, as well as the Gorai interchange area near Dahisar. With these approvals, a major procedural hurdle for the project has been cleared.
According to information shared by civic authorities, the project will require the felling of nearly 1,000 trees, while 1,288 trees are proposed to be transplanted to other locations. The highest number of compensatory plantations has been planned for areas associated with connectivity works around Malad and Mindspace. As part of the mitigation measures, the BMC has proposed the plantation of more than 19,500 trees in Panvel. Civic officials explained that the lack of available land within Mumbai has made large-scale compensatory afforestation within city limits difficult. The proposed plantation drive is intended to offset the environmental impact of tree loss resulting from the coastal road project.
Ganesh Khankar, BJP group leader in the BMC’s Tree Authority, said that the proposal for cutting and transplanting over 2,000 trees had been approved. He suggested that if each of the 25,000 cooperative housing societies located along the coastal road planted a tree, the issue could be addressed more effectively. He also stated that concerns regarding the survival of transplanted trees had been discussed during deliberations and assurances had been provided that efforts would be undertaken to improve survival rates. However, environmental groups and local residents have continued to express concerns. It has been argued that plantations outside Mumbai cannot adequately compensate for the loss of mature urban trees within the city. Questions have also been raised regarding the project’s potential impact on mangroves, biodiversity-sensitive zones and the overall ecological balance of Mumbai’s western suburb
Despite the criticism, civic officials have maintained that the Versova-Dahisar Coastal Road is a critical infrastructure project aimed at improving connectivity, reducing congestion on major routes such as SV Road and the Western Express Highway, and cutting travel time for commuters across the western suburbs.