MUMBAI: Maharashtra will lose 82 hectares of forest land to the Nashik-Ahilyanagar stretch of the Surat-Chennai Expressway, following the green signal from the expert advisory committee of the Union ministry of environment forests and climate change (MoEFCC). The project will cost Gujarat 340 hectares of forest land. The clearances were received at a March 5 meeting of the committee.
The high-speed corridor will extend from the junction of NH-60 near Adgaon village in Nashik district, to Sarolabaddhi village in Ahilyanagar (erstwhile Ahmednagar) district. Its length is 152km in Maharashtra and 291km in Gujarat.
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) executing the project will have to acquire a total 1,457 hectares in Maharashtra and 2,262 hectares in Gujarat for the expressway, which will cost ₹9,494 crore for the Maharashtra stretch and ₹16,198 crore in Gujarat.
Since the Gujarat stretch passes through the Western Ghat mountain range, the committee has asked for an impact assessment report on fauna from the Zoological Survey of India. It has also sought a socio-economic assessment report and impact on biodiversity; traffic study report; and an impact assessment of seismicity on tunnel stability from a reputed institute such as IIT-B.
At present, to travel from Surat to Nashik, motorists use the road via Saputara, while heavy vehicles use the Mumbai-Ahmedabad highway. Motorists will soon be able to use the Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway, which is scheduled for inauguration soon. The Palghar-Nashik Expressway, that will serve the Vadhavan port, will be another addition to high-speed connectivity in the region.
Environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanshakhti said, “The time has come to stop the diversion of forest land. All projects must bypass forest land or a viaduct must be constructed. We can’t keep losing our forests like this.’’