Context: PM inaugurated the country’s longest bridge over the sea, the 22km Mumbai Trans Harbour link, officially the Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link.
Atal Setu (Atal Setu Nhava Sheva Sea Link)
- It is the longest sea bridge in India.
- It is a 22km long twin carriage way six lane bridge over the Thane Creek in the Arabian Sea.
- It is a 16.5-km-long sea bridge, and a 5.5-km-long elevated road on land.
- It will connect Sewri in the island city of Mumbai to Chirle in Raigad district on the mainland.
- The project is collaboration between MMRDA (Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which agreed to fund 80 per cent of the project cost, with the rest being borne by the state and central governments.
Significance of Atal Setu
- Bring down the average travel time between Sewri and Chirle from 61 minutes currently to less than 16 minutes.
- Facilitate greater economic integration of Navi Mumbai with Mumbai with benefits extended to adjoining areas and also address the limits of growth of the Greater Mumbai Area.
- Significantly improve connectivity between South Mumbai and the under-construction Navi Mumbai International Airport, the Mumbai Pune Expressway, the Mumbai-Goa Highway, and the main hinterland in general.
- Provide improved access to Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- A consistent increase in business opportunities and economic growth will be one of the positive outcomes of the Atal Setu.
Concern with Atul Setu Project
- Traditional fishing communities will have to pay a heavy price for all the development projects being carried out in fishing zones without their consent.
- The deposition of sediments in these zones has wreaked havoc on the ecology of these areas, leading to hundreds of hectares of rich fishing zones being transformed into thick mangrove cover, which impacts biodiversity as well as the thousands of traditional fishers.
Way Ahead
- Government agencies should consult the fishing community before announcing such projects that have an impact on their livelihood.