Pending nods delay Peddar Road flyover work yet again

Although work on the Peddar Road flyover was expected to start this month, pending green clearances and approvals have led to a delay in the commencement of the project.

The 4.2km-long flyover will begin near the Haji Ali junction and end at Tambe Chowk at Girgaum Chowpatty. The project was conceived nearly a decade-and-a-half ago but was put on the back burner after facing stiff opposition from celebrity residents such as Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle, apart from locals.

However, under the new plan, the flyover’s piers will not encroach on the beach, as was proposed earlier.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation Limited (MSRDC) had planned to start work on the project in October. However, a senior MSRDC official said that they were still awaiting a CRZ clearance letter from the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

“We are also seeking approvals from the traffic police for closing the road for the work, and from the BMC so we can start boring for sub-soil investigations,” said an official.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has said that the flyover will solve the problem of bottlenecks.