Mumbai, July 13 -- The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation's (MSRDC) proposed expressway linking the upcoming Vadhavan Port and offshore airport with the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway will pass through the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area, according to documents submitted for environmental clearance. In its proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), the MSRDC said the 106km greenfield highway will require 1,715 hectares of land, including 212 hectares of forest land. The project also includes 12km of tunnels along the alignment. The route will begin at Tawa near Kasa on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad Highway and connect with the Samruddhi Expressway at Bharvir Khurd. According to the proposal, the alignment passes through eight villages falling within ecologically sensitive areas. Seven villages are covered under the draft Western Ghats notification, while one lies within the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area, notified by the Centre in 1991. The alignment also passes through heavily forested stretches in the Jawhar-Mokhada region. Around 15km of the route is estimated to pass through forests. The proposed alignment is also located about 10 km from the eco-sensitive zone of the Tansa Wildlife Sanctuary. Defending the alignment, the MSRDC said the present route optimises the geometry of the expressway while reducing dependence on existing roads. The project will provide seamless connectivity between the Vadhavan Port Road and the Samruddhi Expressway, ensuring faster movement. Environmentalists, however, have objected. Debi Goenka, executive trustee of Conservation Action Trust, told HT that the it violated the Dahanu Eco-Sensitive Area notification of 1991, which prohibits changes in land use involving forests and tribal land....