The Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh visit to Mumbai on Friday is thus being keenly watched and the state government will be pitching hard to get environmental clearance for its projects, which will go a long way in improving city's infrastructure, besides saving government's money.
Ramesh will also evaluate the Charkop-Bandra-Mankhurd Metro line and sand mining activity in Maharashtra during his visit.
Bureaucrats headed by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan will brief Ramesh at Sahyadri to seek his approval for the construction of coastal roads in the city. The state government earlier this year had decided to consider the option of building cheaper coastal roads, instead of sea links, which are constructed at a humungous cost of Rs10,000 crore.
The state has been so gung-ho about coastal road plans that it has directed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to scrap the 4.3-km Peddar Road flyover, which has been mired in controversies since its inception, and instead build a 1-km car-deck or small version of the flyover on a part of the original flyover route. Read the full report here.
Source: HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, Mumbai.
