SGNP to lose 1.48 lakh sq mt to new route

About 1.48 lakh sqmt of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) land will be deforested for the construction of the first phase of the Virar-Alibaug multi-modal corridor, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) has said.

In its draft environmental assessment report submitted to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), the MMRDA said that along with 1.48 lakh square meters of SGNP land, it will also have to deforest around 6.90 lakh square meters of mangroves for the project’s phase-1.

Furthermore, the project will pass within a 10-km radius of Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnala Bird Sanctuary and Matheran eco-sensitive zone, the MMRDA report says.

“The major long-term negative impact will be the permanent loss of about 14.8 hectares (1.48 lakh square meters) of Sanjay Gandhi national Park, and 793 hectares non-forest land tree (mangroves) located within the proposed ROW (Right Of Way) of multi-modal corridor,” the environmental assessment report reads. SGNP has one of the highest density of leopards, with over 30 spotted cats in the 103 sq. km park.

However, according to the report this will not affect important protected wildlife species. “This can, however, be mitigated by compensatory afforestation,” the report further reads.

“There may also be some small-scale temporary impact on wildlife habitats.

However, …read more