PANAJI
M ore than a year after Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the proposed iconic twin towers atop the new Zuari Bridge, the ambitious Rs 270-crore project is finally set to move ahead, with the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) granting Environmental Clearance (EC) and CRZ clearance.
The SEIAA, under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), took the decision at its meeting on September 2, following recommendations from the Goa State Expert Appraisal Committee (Goa-SEAC) on August 28 and the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) earlier this year.
“After scrutinising all the documents submitted by the Project Proponent, and upon considering the recommendations of Goa-SEAC, the Authority decided to grant EC+CRZ Clearance to the project,” the SEIAA stated. The environmental clearance has been granted for a period of 10 years.
The project, being developed by Dilip Buildcon, was originally scheduled to commence after the monsoon and was expected to be completed within three years. However, work remained stalled pending the required environmental and coastal clearances.
The clearance comes with a series of strict environmental safeguards. The project proponent has been directed to regularly monitor the water quality of the Zuari river at suitable upstream and downstream locations during construction and submit the results along with six-monthly compliance reports.
The developer has also been directed to take measures to prevent pollution and littering of the estuarine environment during and after construction. The estuarine shore will have to be strengthened with a gabion wall made of laterite or basaltic stone.
The existing cross-section of the nallah draining water from the existing pond into the river will also have to be maintained. Plantation is to be undertaken in consultation with the Goa State Biodiversity Board using native species suitable for the riparian ecosystem.
The project proponent will also have to obtain all other statutory permissions, including from the Town and Country Planning authorities, before commencing work and ensure that construction complies with local building bye-laws. Approval for structural safety, including earthquake resistance and firefighting arrangements, will also be mandatory.
The SEIAA has further directed that the construction site be adequately barricaded and that dust and pollution control measures, including screens and continuous wind-breaking walls of at least three metres in height, be put in place.
Ambient air quality monitoring systems will also have to be installed during construction to monitor pollutants, including PM10 and PM2.5, in upwind and downwind directions.
The project site falls within multiple ecologically sensitive CRZ categories, including CRZ-IA covering mangroves and their buffer zones, CRZ-IB covering water bodies, CRZ-III No Development Zones along rivers and creeks, as well as designated fishing zones.
The project envisages two observation towers atop the new Zuari Bridge, connected to the mainland through a 120-metre-long and 12-metre-wide elevated walkway. Visitors will be taken to the top of the towers through high-speed lifts.
Visitor facilities are proposed beneath the bridge on the Agassaim side, including a children’s play area, toilets, pantry, ticket counter, security cabin and an administrative block. The latter is currently being used as the developer’s temporary site office.
