The Centre's plan to quadruple the Virar-Dahanu railway line have hit a roadblock due to a delay in Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) permissions. The Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC) has been working on constructing two additional tracks to improve connectivity and speed along the corridor.
However, their efforts have been hampered by the lack of necessary documents submitted to the Union Environment Ministry's expert appraisal committee on CRZ.
The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) and the Forest Department have already given their approval for the project. But despite these approvals, the project is still awaiting licences for the construction of four lines.
The existing double-line corridor has become oversaturated. It has impeded the increase in suburban services in this segment. The ambitious project, which is part of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project Phase III (MUTP-III), aims to establish third and fourth railway lines parallel to the current corridor.
It will cover a distance of around 63 kilometres between Virar and Dahanu. The eastern side of the corridor is the focus of the new lines' construction. A dedicated freight corridor is also being developed there.
However, this expansion is not without its challenges. Approximately 16,250 metres of the proposed corridor fall within the Coastal Regulation Zone, impacting several villages in Vasai, Palghar, and Dahanu.
Furthermore, to make way for the new railway lines, a total of 25,438 trees, including 24,302 mangroves, will be removed, necessitating the redirection of mangrove areas. To address environmental concerns, compensatory afforestation on 54 hectares of degraded land has been proposed by three villages in the Palghar district.
Nonetheless, a writ case for authorization to redirect the mangroves has been submitted to the Bombay High Court. The acquisition of land for the current double-line track has also proven challenging. Only 48 hectares out of the required 170 hectares have been purchased for the project so far.
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