Mulund-Borivali ropeway through SGNP core zone proposed; green activists raise concerns

Environmentalists and wildlife experts are voicing concern over a proposal to build a ropeway between Mulund and Borivali through the core zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Mumbai. They say it could disturb the habitat of the wildlife living in the forest.

The proposal has been made by the Public Works Department (PWD) to promote tourism. But objections have been raised to a plan to take a ropeway through a core zone where the movement of people and vehicles has been barred for several decades.

To assess how practicable the project is, the PWD has floated a tender to appoint a consultant. According to Bhushan Phegade, executive engineer of the Goregaon division, a tender for the actual construction will be issued only after the feasibility is examined and the required approvals are obtained.

The Forest Department, which manages the park, has so far received no official proposal for the project. Forest Department officials said the idea has been discussed among members of the District Planning and Development Committee, but no proposal has yet been submitted at the departmental level.

The proposed ropeway would involve passenger cabins attached to steel cables and towers to support them. Concern has been expressed that building such structures in the middle of the forest, and then running the ropeway continuously, would affect the movement of wildlife and their natural habitat.

Sanjay Gandhi National Park is home to leopards, deer, nilgai, wild boar, crocodiles and peacocks, among other wildlife. The park has a recorded count of more than 54 leopards.

In 1991, during the tenure of Maneka Gandhi as Union Minister of State for Environment, entry of people into the core zone was prohibited after sustained demands from the Bombay Natural History Society. Vehicle movement beyond the Kanheri gate in Borivali was also stopped. As a result, wildlife in the area enjoys a relatively quiet environment.

Proposals to take infrastructure projects through the park's core zone have been opposed before. Between the late 1990s and the mid-2000s, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) planned to take the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road through the forest. It was opposed over fears of a threat to wildlife habitat. The route was eventually cancelled, and work later began on the option of underground tunnels.

Concern has also been raised over other construction work around the national park. It has been said that noise from the work on an additional water purification facility in Bhandup is affecting wildlife and birds.

Environmental experts hold that tourism-related activities should be confined to the recreation zones designated in the park. Even flying a drone over the core zone is prohibited, they note, yet a proposal to take a ropeway through the same area is being questioned.

Experts say the constant movement of ropeway cables and cabins could cause stress to wildlife. It has therefore also been suggested that, instead of going through the forest, an alignment along the outer boundary of the park be considered.

For now, the feasibility study of the project has not been completed, and the required environment and forest department approvals have not been obtained. The Mulund-Borivali ropeway proposal is therefore at an early stage. A further decision will be taken only after the project's technical feasibility, environmental impact and the necessary regulatory approvals are studied.