India, Aug. 3 -- The Expert Appraisal Committee of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has deferred clearance to the proposed Tawa-Bharvir road project, which would connect the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway with the Vadhavan port, as the alignment lies very close to the Vaitarna dam, which supplies water to Mumbai.

According to the minutes of the EAC meeting held on July 15-16, the current alignment may pose risks to the overall safety of the dam, and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which is executing the project, must explore alternative alignment options to minimise potential impact on the dam and eco-sensitive areas.

MSRDC managing director Anil Gaikwad said that during th...