The Mumbai - Pune Expressway proposal was considered during the seventh meeting of the Expert Committee on Infrastructural Development and Miscellaneous Projects of MOE&F on 22nd January 1997. On closer examination of the details furnished with regard to the proposed alignment, the Committee observed that the project would involve alignment of the highway route through the wild habitats including the habitats of some rare and endangered species. The Committee also specifically sought from the project authorities the following information prior to considering the project for according environmental clearance:

i. The possibility of widening of the existing Mumbai - Pune road including the provision of bypass around Khopoli, Lonavale - Khandala.

ii. Confirmation of the fact that the revision of the alignment in October 1996 excludes the area under the proposed Santapau Sanctuary.

iii. Clarifications for allowing highway alignment through Lonavale Lake which meets the drinking water requirement of Lonavale township.

Further realignment of expressway was also suggested to avoid the route passing through Ryewood Park, a sacred grove and the St. Xaviers Villa at Lonavale.

Some specific studies were also desired to be completed prior to the reconsideration of the project by the expert committee constituted by MoE&F.

These studies included:

i. Impact of expressway on the Dhangars/shepherds.

ii. The impact of expressway on endangered, Schedule I and Schedule II (a) and (b) species including Mouse deer and Malabar squirrel.

iii. Impact of the expressway on migratory routes of wildlife and the contiguity of forests.

iv. The impact of expressway on recreational areas and on the lake districts including Khandala, Lonavale, Mulshi, Ravena, Valvan, Shirota Andhra, Vadivali, Somavadi, Rajmachi Fort and the Karla caves.

At the same time, based on the recommendations of the Expert Committee, Ministry of Environment and Forest also invited the comments of wildlife experts on the project’s impacts on wildlife/forest values en route the proposed highway. Comments of the Wildlife Institute of India were also sought by MOE&F vide their letter NO.J-21012/21/95-IA III dated Feb. 24th 1997.

The project was reconsidered in the tenth meeting of the expert committee held on 17th April 1997. The project authorities provided the clarification to issues raised in the last meeting. The committee highlighted some other critical issues that were to be addressed before the project could be considered for a decision on environmental clearance.

 These included:

i. The segregation of slow moving traffic through the construction of parallel roads to take care of additional traffic needs to be explored for effective reduction in traffic on the existing highway.

ii. In view of the irreparable damage to rare and threatened flora and fauna that is visualised by the proposed alignment of the expressway through the Ghat section, the matter be referred to Wildlife Wing of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide an assessment of the adverse impacts likely to accrue from the implementation of the project.

iii. The matter be also referred to Forest Wing of the ministry for the assessment of impacts on forest area within the bounds of the proposed project.

iv. The bottleneck in the Ghat section which will continue to exist even in the event the existing national highway is upgraded by widening, can be circumvented by the realignment of the existing highway and the diversion of the traffic through the tunnels in the Ghat section. This needs to be examined for its feasibility.

v. The acceptability (in principle) of the proposed project by the Planning Commission for inclusion in the IXth Plan to be confirmed before the environmental clearance is accorded.

In view of the several critical issues that revolved around the proposed project, the environmental clearance was deferred.

The project was reconsidered in the eleventh meeting of the Expert Committee for infrastructural development and miscellaneous projects on 25.06.97. The committee reviewed the clarifications submitted by the project proponents on the issues raised in the tenth meeting of the committee held in April 1997 and examined the comments/reports received from the wildlife experts on the request of MOE&F and made the following specific requirements.

i. Definitive commitment from the project proponents with regard to four lane highway against earlier option of 6 lanes proposed by project authorities.

ii. Finalisation of the route alignment in consultation with Wildlife Institute of India.

iii. Independent biohabitat evaluation of the project area by the Wildlife Institute of India at the cost of project authorities to include detailed inventory of flora and fauna and the evaluation of the project impacts on biodiversity both in the upper and lower stretches of highway and the forest.

iv. Report of the site visit to be undertaken by sub committee be also made available to WII.

The committee decided to reconsider the project only after the above conditions laid down with respect to critical information on various dimensions of the project were made available.