URAN: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has dismissed a petition challenging construction of the Tirupati Balaji temple at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai after the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD), the project proponent, assured the tribunal via a sworn affidavit that no construction activity would be carried out in areas falling within the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ).
₹70 crore (HT PHOTO)” title=”The proposed temple, modeled after the Tirumala shrine in Andhra Pradesh, will be built at a cost of ₹70 crore (HT PHOTO)” />The proposed temple, modeled after the Tirumala shrine in Andhra Pradesh, will be built at a cost of ₹70 crore, on a 40,000 square metre plot allotted by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to TTD in April 2022. The plot is located near the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) and the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the temple was originally scheduled for August 21, 2022, but was cancelled following objections from environmentalists who said the plot was originally a wetland and demanded its restoration. The ceremony was eventually conducted on June 7, 2023 after the project received CRZ clearance.
BN Kumar, director of the nonprofit NatConnect Foundation had approached the NGT, citing CRZ violations and contending that the plot was originally a wetland and fishing pond before it was filled up for MTHL casting work.
A study by the Institute of Remote Sensing (IRS) at Anna University, commissioned by TTD, revealed that under the 2011 Coastal Zone Management Plan, 2,748.18 square metres fell within CRZ-1A (ecologically sensitive area), 25,656.58 square metres within CRZ-II (developed land areas), and only 11,595 square metres was outside the CRZ. However, as per the 2019 Coastal Zone Management Plan, the non-CRZ area was much larger, at 29,523 square metres.
The proposed temple, roads, and drainage facilities were completely outside the CRZ as per the 2019 plan, the IRS concluded.
On November 20, 2023, the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) approved the project and allowed fencing and landscaping work within the 50-metre mangrove buffer zone, but barred any structural construction in CRZ areas.
Before the NGT, Kumar’s counsel, advocate Ronita Bhattacharya, opposed the approval granted by the MCZMA, whereas TTD’s counsel, advocate Harshavardhan Bhende, said they had already filed an affidavit clarifying the temple would be constructed entirely in the non-CRZ zone.
During final arguments, TTD formally committed on oath that it would not undertake any construction in CRZ areas and would seek prior permission for any future work in those areas.
Kumar’s counsel accepted the undertaking, and with no further objections, the NGT dismissed the case on July 31, 2025. The order was uploaded recently.
Despite the NGT’s nod, concerns regarding the impact of construction activity on the environment persist.
“CIDCO’s own records list the plot as flood-prone, and satellite maps from the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) show a flood hazard line running through the site,” said Kumar. “The wetland should have been restored, not repurposed.”
Though the temple would be built on an elevated base, the surrounding areas are low-lying and vulnerable to flooding, Kumar added. “This reality cannot be ignored.”
Nandakumar Pawar from the nonprofit Sagar Shakti said, “We welcome spiritual development, but CIDCO must ensure that ecological safeguards are not compromised.”