Thane: The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has approved the Thane Coastal Road-2 project, which spans 7.12 kilometres through the environmentally sensitive area of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary, The CSR Journal reported on Friday, October 23, 2026. The decision will lead to the permanent loss of mangroves along the alignment, the report said.
Source: The CSR Journal
According to the project figures carried in a RealtyNXT news update, the project is expected to affect 3,754 mangroves spread across 12 hectares within the eco-sensitive zone of the sanctuary, an internationally recognised Ramsar site. Of these, 680 mangroves across 1.7 hectares will be permanently lost due to the construction of elevated road piers. Another 1,053 trees may be damaged during construction and restored afterwards, while the remaining 2,021 are expected to remain largely untouched.
Source: RealtyNXT
Approval follows an earlier deferral
The approval comes after the MCZMA had examined the proposal at its 201st meeting on August 11, 2026, and deferred its decision, seeking seven sets of information — including an examination of alternative alignments, a report from the Mangrove Cell, an assessment of the impact on Thane Creek's ecology and flamingo habitats, and a flood-impact study, the Free Press Journal reported at the time. The project's environmental assessment had identified 6.61 hectares of impact within the sanctuary's eco-sensitive zone and 2.7215 hectares of forest land involvement.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
The road is being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which had sought Coastal Regulation Zone clearance for the project, earlier reported to cost Rs 5,140.92 crore — yaani about Rs 51.4 billion. MMRDA officials told the MCZMA that the existing Eastern Express Highway and Thane-Ghodbunder Road face limitations in handling the region's growing traffic, and argued the coastal road is intended to divert regional and non-local traffic away from the heart of Thane, reduce accidents and improve transport efficiency.
Source: Free Press Journal via NewsPoint
What is solid
- The MCZMA has approved Thane Coastal Road-2, a 7.12-km project through the eco-sensitive zone of the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (The CSR Journal, Oct 23).
- Project figures put 3,754 mangroves in the affected zone: 680 across 1.7 hectares permanently lost to elevated piers, 1,053 to be damaged during construction and restored afterwards, and 2,021 expected to remain largely untouched (RealtyNXT).
- The MCZMA had deferred the proposal at its August 11, 2026 meeting and sought alternative-alignment and ecological-impact information before this approval (Free Press Journal).
What is only claimed
- Whether the 1,053 mangroves described as restorable will in fact be fully restored after construction is not yet established; it is a project expectation, not an outcome.
- MMRDA says the road is needed to relieve congestion on the Eastern Express Highway and Ghodbunder Road; the scale of ecological cost to the sanctuary zone remains disputed in the project's assessment record.
The Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary is a protected wetland on the western bank of Thane Creek between the Vashi and Airoli bridges, known for the flamingos that gather there. Further implementation steps, including forest clearance and any compensatory planting conditions attached to the approval, are awaited.