Bombay High Court allows BMC mangrove removal for Versova-Madh bridge
The Bombay High Court has given the green light for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to cut down 1,237 mangroves to build a bridge over Malad Creek, connecting Versova and Madh Island.
This new bridge will shrink the travel distance from 22km to just 1.5km, meaning trips that used to take over an hour could soon take only about 10 minutes.
The court called the project essential for public benefit, weighing both environmental rules and how much it would help daily commuters.
BMC to plant 39,000 mangroves
To make space for the bridge (and accommodate local fishermen), around 2.5 hectares of mangroves will be affected, with 0.5 hectares gone for good.
But BMC says it will restore two hectares after construction and plant 39,000 new mangroves across nine hectares, spending ₹1.42 crore on these efforts.
The court made it clear this is not about private gain: it is all about easing traffic jams and making Mumbai's daily commute smoother and safer by taking pressure off busy roads like SV Road and Link Road.