| The Bandra-Worli Sea Link project is heading for fresh trouble as Bombay High Court has asked the Union environment ministry to assess the impact of change in its alignment and submit the report within two weeks.
|
| |
| S P Singh, the lawyer of the Worli Sea Face Samiti, which has challenged the sea link project in the court, said, “We have challenged the sea link on two grounds. First, changes in the alignment were carried out without necessary environmental clearance, and second, on the grounds of high cost overruns.”
|
| |
| Elaborating on this point, Singh said, “As per the 1999 clearance given by the environment ministry, the link was supposed to end at Worli village, but later it was changed and now it ends right on the Worli Sea face. However, before starting work on the changed alignment, Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) did not bothered to get a fresh clearance from the environment ministry.”
|
| |
| He added, “Originally, the project was supposed to be completed in 2001, but now it seems it will not complete before 2009. This delay has more than doubled the original cost of the project which had been pegged at Rs 400 crore. This would only increase the burden on common man who is going to use sea link as he would have to pay higher toll and for longer period of time.”
|
| |
| “That’s why we have challenged MSRDC’s decision to continue Hindustan Construction Co (HCC) as a contractor,” he said.
|
| |
| In an affidavit filed by the MSRDC in the court, it has claimed that it has not violated any guidelines given by the ministry of environment. It said that the ministry’s permission was itself conditional based on concurrence by the fishermen living in the area.
|
| |
| The affidavit states that the Koli fishermen who live in the area feared that the original alignment would affect their livelihood by denying them access to the sea. Due to this MSRDC changed the alignment which resulted in cost overruns.
|
| |
| The affidavit, however, noted that whatever the estimated cost overruns may be, the contractor HCC would be paid as per the actual cost. |
| |
|
| |
Content Guide
