Rs. 150 crore Dahisar River revamp project revived.

Two years after a proposal to widen and beautify Dahisar River was mooted, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis recently gave the Rs. 150 crore project a fresh lease of life.

Fadnavis also wants tourist atractions like backwater boating and kayaking at along the river. The state administration has drafted a plan for the same. 'A 4.6 km patch of the river from Abhinav Nagar to Sudhindra Nagar where it meets the Manori creek will be augumented to 45 m,' said a senior official.

'Plans are afoot to construct a 9.2 km retaining wall and landscaping its embankments. The slums encroaching the banks will be removed and the residents will be rehabilitated,' he added.

Fadnavis, who conducted a review meeting to check the project's progress, said that the beautification plan should be given priority and all phases should be completed in time. For several years, residents and environmentalists have been complaining about pollutants entering the river and wrecking havoc on mangroves and its marine life.

The project, which is being handled by the BMC, entails creation of a mangrove lagoon. 'The CM has also said that pedestrian bridges should be constructed over the river,' the official said.

There is also a plan to build a sewerage treatment plant for the river.

TOI