KALYAN: THe removal of around 200 Palmyra trees, which had stalled work on a key stretch of the Kalyan Ring Road, is set to move ahead after the KDMC more than doubled compensation to villagers whose livelihood depends on the trees. The civic body has agreed to raise the compensation from Rs 10,000 to Rs 30,000 per tree following talks with affected villagers, clearing a major hurdle on the 2.3-km Vadavali-Atali stretch of Phase 5. The trees, whose fruits are harvested and sold by villagers, fall within the road alignment.KDMC mayor Harshali Thavil Chaudhari and town planner Surendra Tengle held discussions with the affected villagers and managed to resolve the issue. Following the revised compensation, resistance to removal of the trees has eased, paving the way for work on the remaining stretch.The Ring Road project is being developed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Work on the project began in 2018. The project was initially planned as a 26-km road but was subsequently extended to around 31 km based on traffic requirements and the need to provide better connectivity across Kalyan-Dombivli. The KDMC has been assisting MMRDA in resolving issues related to land acquisition and other civic-level hurdles.The KRR is based on the KDMC-approved Development Plan (DP) alignment. It starts at Hedutane village on the Badlapur-Katai Road and crosses the Shil-Kalyan-Bhiwandi Road near Bhopar village. The alignment passes near the Diva-Vasai railway loop line and the Central Railway line in the vicinity of Kopar railway station, connects with the Motagaon-Mankoli link road and crosses the Diva-Vasai railway line again. It then runs parallel to the Ulhas river, connects with the Shil-Kalyan-Bhiwandi Road near Durgadi Bridge and ultimately ends at Titwala.Phases 4 and 5 are particularly important as their completion is expected to substantially improve connectivity towards Titwala and reduce traffic pressure on existing roads in Kalyan West. The two phases are also expected to cut travel time between Kalyan and Titwala considerably. Officials said the only major hurdle remaining is a 250-metre stretch passing through the Adharwadi dumping ground, which is expected to be cleared by December-end. Once this stretch is cleared, phase 4 is expected to be ready for use.
