Home / Environment / Mumbai Coastal Road Project: 45,000 Mangroves Face Axe
Mumbai Coastal Road Project: 45,000 Mangroves Face Axe
20 Feb
Summary
- Over 45,000 mangrove trees will be removed for the coastal road.
- Bombay High Court permitted felling over 103.65 hectares.
- Project aims to reduce travel time from two hours to 18 minutes.
In preparation for the Mumbai Coastal Road Project's next phase, the state forest department has begun surveying and planning the felling of over 45,000 mangrove trees. These mangroves are situated on a 103.65-hectare parcel of land intended for the Versova to Bhayandar stretch of the coastal road.
The Bombay High Court granted permission for this extensive tree felling on December 12, 2025, clearing 103.65 hectares of mangrove forest. Of the total trees, 9,000 will be permanently removed, while 36,675 are slated for transplantation. The tender process for survey, demarcation, and felling has commenced, with an estimated project cost of Rs. 1.90 crore over 12 months.
The High Court also mandated compensatory afforestation, including planting 1.32 lakh mangroves in Bhayandar and maintaining 1.37 lakh trees in Palghar for ten years. This ambitious project, costing nearly Rs. 18,200 crore, aims to drastically cut travel time from two hours to just 18 minutes between Versova and Bhayandar.
