A proposed cloverleaf interchange under Phase IV of the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) could result in the loss of around 8.2 acres of mangroves and 217 trees in Bhandup, with the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) scheduled to consider the proposal on September 24.
The 12.2-km GMLR is being implemented by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and includes a 5.3-km twin tunnel beneath Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The project will connect Film City in Goregaon with Amar Nagar in Mulund West and is intended to improve east-west connectivity.
The planned interchange at the GMLR-Eastern Express Highway junction is designed to “enable signal-free traffic movement, reduce congestion, improve road safety and enhance regional connectivity”. However, the proposed works would involve the removal of 187 mangroves and 217 trees, according to the report.
The project is expected to provide a direct connection between the Western Express Highway and Eastern Express Highway. Traffic experts cited in the report estimate that the corridor could reduce travel time between Mumbai’s eastern and western suburbs from around 90 minutes to approximately 25 minutes. Tunnel excavation began on August 17, 2026.
The proposed environmental impact has drawn objections from fishing groups and environmental activists.
Nandkumar Pawar, president of the Maharashtra Small Scale Traditional Fish Workers Union, said fishermen had not been consulted. “Mangroves and intertidal areas are fishing and breeding zones for fish and crabs,” he said. “These are important for our livelihood. The government always talks of compensatory afforestation, but mangroves cannot be replanted. We will strongly oppose it.”
Environmental activist D Stalin of Vanashakti called the “continuous destruction” of mangroves “insane”. “There is zero consideration for mangroves and coastal ecology,” he said. “Every institution that is supposed to protect the mangroves has been compromised. The MCZMA has become a rubber stamp body waiting to sanction every application to remove mangroves. The Bombay high court should step in and stop people from handing out permissions to denude the city of its mangrove cover.”
The proposed compensatory plantation is planned at Brahmapuri in Chandrapur, according to the report.
Source: Hindustan Times
