The Bombay High Court has revoked the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) clearances granted to the coastal road project worth Rs 14,000 crore. The Bombay High Court ruling states that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) cannot proceed with work on the 29.2 km long project, proposed to connect Marine Drive area in south Mumbai to suburban Borivali in north Mumbai.

The court noted that the environmental clearance (EC) was required to be taken by BMC under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) notification issued by the Centre.

The bench quashed the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) clearances while allowing a bunch of petitions filed by activists, residents and fishermen from the city challenging the project.

The court has observed that there is lack of proper scientific study and this has been overlooked by the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), EIA and the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

The bench quashed and set aside the approval granted by MCZMA on 4 January 2017, the nod given by EAC on 17 March 2017 and the final approval granted by MoEF&CC on 11 May 2017. The bench refused to accept BMC’s argument that there was a dying need for the coastal road project to decongest the city’s roads.