Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) lies in the heart of the city and comprises of 103 sq km. However, this unique park is now being threatened by not one but six projects which will be usurping 136 acres of the park. One of the projects is Navghar (Virar) to Chirle (JNPT) Multimodal Corridor for which the Mumbai Metropolitan Development Authority (MMRDA) is demanding six hectares (14.8) of land.
M. P. Singh told TOI that the corridor will run parallel to Diva-Vasai railway line.
SGNP is a home to 40 leopards, 290 bird species, 150 butterfly species, over 1,000 species of flowering plants, 40 mammals and a host of reptiles and amphibians. Other than this, it also provides 10 per cent of the city’s fresh water.
According to experts, the Virar-Chirle multimodal corridor will pass through the buffer zone of the Tungareshwar Sanctuary, the Karnala Bird Sanctuary, and the Matheran Eco-Sensitive Zone. This corridor will comprise of a regular road with a bus rapid transit system and a metro in near future connecting seven centres in MMR region like Virar, Bhiwandi, Dombivali, Panvel, Taloja, and Uran.
Singh told TOI,
The project has been divided into two phases. Phase I is from Navghar (Virar) to Chirle (Navi Mumbai), which is 80km. Phase II is Balavali-Jite to Alibaug, which is 20 km. The Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link ends at Chirle. There is a 1.5km detour to Balavali-Jite where the multimodal corridor will begin and provide connectivity directly to Goa.”
By 2019, land acquisition is expected to be completed and the project will be commissioned in 2022.
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