The Bombay High Court has directed authorities to submit a status report on compensatory mangrove restoration linked to the proposed Versova–Bhayandar Coastal Road after environmental group Vanashakti alleged that mandatory ecological safeguards have not been fully implemented.
The matter was heard following an application filed by the NGO, which claimed that several environmental conditions attached to the approval for mangrove removal have not been complied with. The petition concerns the felling of mangroves for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) planned 26.3-kilometre coastal road connecting Versova and Bhayandar.
The issue traces back to a Bombay High Court order issued in late 2025, which permitted the removal of 45,675 mangroves in view of the project’s public importance. However, the approval was granted subject to strict environmental safeguards, including compensatory afforestation, restoration of disturbed mangrove areas and long-term monitoring of plantation activities.
Court submissions indicate that nearly 84 hectares of mangrove habitat are expected to be affected by the project. The BMC had informed the court that around 8.24 hectares containing approximately 9,000 mangroves would be permanently diverted, while nearly 68.55 hectares with 36,675 mangroves would be restored after construction is completed.
To offset the environmental impact, authorities had proposed planting 137,025 mangrove saplings—three times the number of trees approved for removal—across 30 hectares of degraded mangrove land in Bhayandar village, Palghar district. The restoration plan also includes protective fencing and long-term maintenance by the state’s Mangrove Cell.
Vanashakti told the court that construction activities had already commenced and mangrove cutting began in March this year. The organisation argued that the environmental commitments forming the basis of judicial approval had not yet been fulfilled.
The Versova–Bhayandar Coastal Road, estimated to cost over Rs 22,000 crore, is among Mumbai’s largest infrastructure projects. Designed to improve connectivity between the city’s western suburbs and the northern Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the project continues to remain under close environmental scrutiny, with mangrove conservation forming a key part of its regulatory oversight.
Source: Prop News Time
