Tunnels through Mumbai’s national park will cut travel, but concerns grow over environmental effect

On July 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Rs 16,600 crore Thane-Borivali Twin Tube Tunnel project in Mumbai, in the run up to elections to the state assembly due later this year.

But its impact on Mumbai’s only national park will be known only after the project is well on its way to completion, contrary to a condition laid down by the National Board of Wildlife while granting permission for the project.

As planned, the project will run under the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and is aimed at providing east-west connectivity, reducing congestion on Ghodbunder Road, a major city connector, and is supposed to reduce travel from Thane city to Borivali in western Mumbai by 12 km.

Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd, the second largest donor through the now-scrapped electoral bonds scheme, has won the contract.

During the bidding process, Megha Engineering was the only firm whose bid was found eligible. Larsen & Toubro had filed pleas in the Bombay High Court against the decision, but the pleas were dismissed.

Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd was one of India’s largest donors to the electoral bonds scheme, purchasing bonds worth around Rs 966 crore. These bonds were encashed by major political parties including Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party. In fact, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd bought bonds...

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