Mankhurd T-Junction Flyovers get the Green Light, but Mangroves will go
Relief may finally be coming for Chembur commuters who crawl through the Mankhurd T-Junction. The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority has cleared the BMC's plan to build 13 new towers to carry six high-voltage transmission lines, including the Waghivali–Chembur and Parel–Mankhurd lines, which means clearing 2.03,040 sq ft of mangrove land along Thane Creek. Shifting the lines will make room for two new flyover arms linking the Ghatkopar-Mankhurd Link Road flyover to the Sion-Panvel highway, so traffic heading towards Navi Mumbai can bypass the junction during peak hours.
The approval was given in September and formally recorded on October 14. Part of the alignment falls in the eco-sensitive zone of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, and environmentalist D Stalin of NGO Vanshakti has criticised the clearance.