Need faster green nods for development projects: Mumbai govt to Centre

The Maharashtra government has sought concessions, waivers and faster clearances from the Union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) for developmental projects in Mumbai and in the state. The requests were made during a meeting between chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis and union environment minister Prakash Javadekar in the city on Friday.

Fadnavis sought waiver of a condition under the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) notification 2011, for redevelopment of slums in coastal areas. He also reiterated a pending request for the MoEF to delegate powers to the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), so projects such as port development, sewage treatment plant and water supply to rural areas can be cleared at the state level.

“The MoEF would have to study the proposal [for delegation of powers] in detail as it is not just for one project, and will impact several other projects. A case was made for faster clearances. The ministry was positive,” said a senior official who was present at the meeting.

Among its other demands, the state sought clearance for cleaning and rejuvenation of 21 polluted rivers as well as for a sewage treatment plant in Colaba.

Meanwhile, Javadekar assured speedy approval for various infrastructure projects in the state. He said that the Centre would ensure fast progress while protecting the environment.

Taking a swipe at the erstwhile Congress-led UPA government, he said that the state and Centre had worked together to clear several projects which had been stalled between 2009 and 2014. “In the last five years, we have undertaken and cleared several propeople, pro-progress projects [in Maharashtra] such as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial, NhavaSheva link, coastal road, relaxation of CRZ norms,and the Mumbai-Goa road which was pending for 20 years,” he said.