A significant milestone was achieved this week in the long-pending ₹2,395-crore Madh–Versova bridge project, as environmental clearance was granted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The approval has brought the city closer to constructing a much-needed fixed-link bridge that will connect Madh and Versova jetties, currently accessible only via ferry services that remain suspended during monsoon months.
Spanning 2.06 kilometres, the bridge has been designed as a cable-stayed structure to limit the number of pillars within the mangrove zone and thus reduce environmental impact. The alignment will also ensure connectivity with the Versova interchange, which forms the northern extension of the Coastal Road project.
Before construction can begin, a court order from the Bombay High Court will be required to divert approximately 2.75 hectares of mangrove forest land. As a compensatory measure, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has identified three hectares of land for afforestation, with a pledge to plant three saplings for each tree removed. It has been indicated that judicial approval may take two to three months, after which land acquisition will be initiated. On-site construction is likely to begin by October. The project, first envisioned in Mumbai’s 1967 Development Plan, has gained renewed momentum following a recent meeting between MP Piyush Goyal and Forest Minister Ganesh Naik, after which the matter was formally taken up with the MoEFCC.
While progress has been welcomed on one front, concerns have simultaneously been voiced regarding another high-profile infrastructure plan—the Versova–Dahisar Coastal Road. A prominent green activist from Mumbai has raised objections with the state’s top officials and the environment ministry, citing violations of coastal regulation norms and the risk of large-scale ecological damage.
The Versova–Dahisar road, with an estimated cost of ₹16,621 crore, has been slated to permanently eliminate over 9,000 mangrove trees across 8.24 hectares and temporarily impact nearly 36,000 more across an additional 68.55 hectares. Stage-1 approval for mangrove diversion has already been issued, but the project continues to face opposition from environmental groups and citizens. As Mumbai moves forward with ambitious infrastructure upgrades, the challenge of balancing development with ecological preservation remains at the forefront of civic discourse.