NAVI MUMBAI, May 22 -- The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has reduced the '9 PBR Navi Mumbai' luxury housing project by Adani Realty and Mistry Construction in Sector 60, Nerul, along Palm Beach Road from nine towers to seven after finding that two towers and portions of the clubhouse partially fall within Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) limits under the approved Coastal Zone Management Plan (CZMP), 2019. The authority, however, held that Towers 2 to 8 fall outside the CRZ area and therefore outside the ambit of the CRZ Notification, 2019, after the project proponent submitted a revised layout for the non-CRZ portions of the site. The high-end residential project is located along the environmentally sensitive Palm Beach Road stretch adjoining mangroves, mudflats and coastal areas near TS Chanakya and the Panvel creek, a zone that has witnessed repeated disputes over CRZ-linked construction activity. Environmental groups have alleged that portions of the project overlap with protected tidal zones, wetlands and ecologically sensitive coastal stretches adjoining the Panvel creek. The project had earlier triggered protests over alleged tree felling, while activists accused the developer of attempting to construct residential towers on land originally earmarked as part of an integrated golf course project. The minutes reveal that the project underwent multiple rounds of regulatory scrutiny over the past several years. When contacted regarding the allegations and objections raised by activists, a spokesperson for Mistry Construction said the company had obtained all necessary approvals and complied with applicable regulations, adding that the proposal had also been validated by the authorities. "In fact, the construction and the project is in full compliance with all legal provisions and is also RERA registered," the spokesperson said....