India, Sept. 1 -- The MMRDA has been told to rework the route of the proposed Balkum-to-Anandnagar (Mulund east) coastal road that would cut through the flamingo sanctuary in the Thane creek and also endanger 3,754 mangroves on 2.72 hectares of forest land, according to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA).

The stand taken by the MCZMA, whose go-ahead is critical to the project, is a setback for the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA), which submitted its proposal to the coastal authority on August 11. MMRDA had, in fact, anticipated clearance for the Elevated Thane Coastal Road (Phase-II) from Balkum to Anandnagar, and is building a six-lane extension to the Eastern Freeway, from Ghatkopar to ...