Location, land areas &     acquisition

Zones in the SEZ area have different characteristics in terms of location (proximity to port, residential complexes/townships, etc.) and land characteristics (soil characteristics, terrain, etc.). Further, development has commenced in certain zones. Detailed description of the land and location characteristics of each of these zones are provided as under:

Dronagiri
The Dronagiri zone is spread over an area of 1,777 ha and is located at the southern tip of Navi Mumbai. The site is located to the east of Uran town, and is bound by the Karanja Creek on the south-east. Residential areas are located to the west and north-west of the zone, while the JNPT port area and township are located towards the north of the zone. The zone is adjacent to the JNPT port, and is located farthest from the central business districts of Belapur, Nerul and Vashi. Due to its proximity to the port, this zone is ideal for port-based industries.

The topography includes a hilly region towards the west of the zone. Owing to its peculiar topography rainfall in this region is rather heavy. In order to ensure proper drainage of the area, CIDCO has constructed holding ponds in the area to allow water to accumulate during high tide and heavy downpour. During low tide, water from the holding ponds flows back into the sea.

The zone is characterised by loose soil with lowbearing capacity, and black stiff clay. Construction work could, therefore, require pile foundation.

Basic infrastructure has already been developed in the zone, and around 350 ha (20 per cent of land) has already been sold. In addition, around 90 ha is currently being used for commercial purposes.

JNPT area
The JNPT area of around 300 ha lies to the northeast of the Dronagiri zone, and is bound by the Navghar industrial area to the south. A marshalling yard is also proposed to the south of this zone. This area is located next to JNPT port as well, and is ideally suited for port-based industries.

The characteristics of this area are similar to those of the Dronagiri zone. Some parts of the area could require landfill. The soil characteristics in the JNPT area are similar to that of the Dronagiri zone.

Kalamboli
The Kalamboli zone is spread over an area of 350 ha. The zone lies on the eastern tip of Navi Mumbai and adjoins the Taloja MIDC area. The zone is located to the east of the existing wholesale iron and steel market and is easily accessible by road from Thane, Ambernath, Taloja and the rest of Navi Mumbai. The Diva-Panvel railway line (Konkan Railway) touches the periphery of the zone. Further, the zone is located at a distance of one kilometer from the National Highway ("NH") 4 and the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and is connected to these highways by a eight-lane road. The zone is also in close proximity to the suburban railway line connecting Mumbai to Panvel. When compared to the Dronagiri zone, the Kalamboli zone is closer to CBD Belapur. Due to its excellent linkages with other areas, the zone is ideal for manufacturing and trading activity

The Kalamboli zone is part of a low-lying alluvial bowl and is characterized by non-marshy land requiring negligible landfill. There are some undulating strips of land sloping towards west. The zone is characterized by coastal saline soils with high-bearing capacity, and is most suitable for construction activity. Due to the above characteristics, the cost of development in the Kalamboli zone is expected to be the lowest among all zones.

Nodal development of the outskirts of the zone, in terms of access roads, etc., has taken place. However, there is no development within the zone itself.

Ulwe
The Ulwe zone is spread over an area of 400 ha. The zone is situated along the south- western waterfront of the Central Business District of Navi Mumbai and extends towards the new Nhava Shava Docks (JNPT) to south. The proposed rail link between Belapur and Uran also passes through the zone. In addition, the zone is adjacent to the proposed water terminals, and is closest to south Mumbai in terms of travel times. The proposed second international airport for Mumbai is located near Ulwe.

Due to the zone's proximity to residential areas, lower commuting time from Mumbai and the proposed new international airport, this zone is best suited for service industries like OBUs, IT, biotech, airport related activities, etc.

The zone comprises undulating and marshy land that is primarily used for paddy cultivation. Considerable landfill could be required prior to any developmental activity. Therefore, development/construction costs in Ulwe are likely to be higher.

Location, land area & acquisition | External infrastructure | Internal infrastructure
Social infrastructure | Environment assessment

 External infrastructure

	Power supply to the SEZ would be availed of through a major transmission substation available at Khargar. This substation is of 400/132/33 KV capacity and is connected to the main state power grid. This substation has enough capacity to draw 132 KV transmission lines to the SEZ. The SEZ would have four 132/33 KV substations which would meet the power requirements of 400 MW (of this street lighting and electrification of common facilities is estimated at 76 MW). Maharashtra has surplus power and the power requirement of the state would be further augmented by commissioning of a second phase of Dhabol Power station to the extent of 1450 MW.
	The SEZ is projected to require 6 million litres of water daily. Cidco's Hetwane water supply scheme with 450 MLD capacity is enough to cater to the water requirements of SEZ. Cidco has already laid a 800 mm pipeline upto the SEZ.
	Commuter Railways systems at New Bombay (including those planned) include: Mankhurd-Belapur-Panvel rail corridor, Thane-Vashi-Juinagar-Uran rail corridor, Ring railway around CBD, Manasarovar-Taloja, Thane-Kalwa-Juinagar-Nerul rail corridor, Panvel-Uran rail corridor and an Intercity Railway Terminal.
	The road system planned at New Bombay consists of expressways, arterial roads, local roads and flyovers. The total length of expressways in New Bombay will be about 200 kms.
	The road systems at New Bombay (including those planned) include: Sion-Panvel Expressway, Thane-Belapur road, Palm Beach road and the National Highway.
	The bus transport system in New Bombay is operated by MSRTC, BEST and NMMT. These three undertakings have together put in about 287 buses catering to about 2.5 lakh intercity and intracity passengers.
	Other transport systems in New Bombay include autorickshaw, taxi services and hovercraft services.
	An international airport is planned to be set up at New Bombay. The feasibility is completed and cabinet approval is expected shortly. The airport is expected to get operational by 2010.

Location, land area & acquisition | External infrastructure | Internal infrastructure
Social infrastructure | Environment assessment

 Internal infrastructure

	Key internal infrastructure needing development is: Road, Electrification, Water supply, Sewerage, and Arboriculture. The total cost of this development is estimated at Rs 1151 crores.
	While the SEZ area is broadly undulated, leveling and reclamation (in an area of around 300 Ha) are essential to avoid high tide water flows. The cost of these is stimated at Rs 120 crores. Holding ponds will also need to be created (covering an area of 195 Ha) and are estimated to cost Rs 53 crores.
	Construction of roads in the SEZ area is estimated to cost Rs 220 crores.
	The SEZ area receives heavy rain falls and would require construction of storm water drains and water channels. The cost of these is estimated at Rs 174 crores.
	Construction of elevated storage reservoirs and ground storage reservoirs is estimated to cost Rs 96 crores. While Rs 26 crores would be required for construction of nodal feeder pipeline and related works. Sewerage and water supply facilities have been estimated to cost Rs 75 crores and Rs 49 crores respectively.
	Arboriculture, landscaping and development of a green belt are estimated to cost Rs 5 crores while development of about 40 gardens is estimated to cost Rs 12 crores.
	The SEZ area will be bonded by a 18 feet high boundary wall which is expected to cost Rs 42 crores.
	Non saleable social infrastructure facilities are estimated at: Truck terminal: Rs 4 croes, Helipad: Rs 4 crores, Fire stations: Rs 4 crores, Police stations: Rs 2 crores, Bus stations and taxi stands: Rs 4 crores, Community centers, common toilets and other facilities: Rs 3 crores.

Location, land area & acquisition | External infrastructure | Internal infrastructure
Social infrastructure | Environment assessment

 Social infrastructure

	The SEZ would leverage the social infrastructure of New Bombay. The planning of social infrastructure in New Bombay was developed keeping in mind modern parameters of land use. Spaces have been reserved for open spaces, parks, schools, hospitals, restaurants and entertainment places. 58% of land in various neighborhood centers of New Bombay is reserved for parks, gardens, green belts, open areas, non development zones and aforestation.
	The overall housing requirement for people employed at the SEZ is 835 Ha.
	Cidco has already constructed more than one lakh houses in New Bombay.
	New Bombay has 209 schools and 52 colleges for professional education.
	New Bombay has 144 public gardens and 18 playgrounds. It also has hospitals with 2,200 beds capacity.

Location, land area & acquisition | External infrastructure | Internal infrastructure
Social infrastructure | Environment assessment

 Environment assessment

	No displacement: Four villages located within the boundaries of the SEZ and some plots in the area already sold will be excluded from the SEZ region and provided direct access to the highway.
	Site is generally flat and low lying without undulations.
	No major vegetation except for shrubs.
	SEZ will be located landward side of 150m boundaries from the high tide line.
	Rainfall in the SEZ area is heavy and there is flooding during high tide. Cidco has constructed holding ponds in the area to allow water to accumulate and prevent flooding in low-lying areas.
	Ambient air quality around the site is well within the prescribed National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
	Well water within the site was found to be slightly high in TDS indicating some salinity while water samples from the creek and open sea slowed slightly higher values of BOD, COD, oil and grease possibly because of fishing activity and trawlers movement in the area.
	Noise levels are close to or slightly above standards prescribed for sensitive areas like hospitals, schools etc.
	The soil in the area is very loose and at almost 2.6 m below ground level one observes black stiff clay. The bearing capacity is also very low. Therefore any construction in this area requires pile foundation.
	It is considered essential to create a green belt with a West-East orientation to mitigate any possible effects due to air pollution.
	Power requirements for the SEZ are envisaged at 400 MW. This power would be drawn through Khargar transmission sub-station. There is therefore no environmental impact as far as distribution of power in SEZ is concerned.
	Water requirement for the SEZ is envisaged at 6 MLD. This requirement is expected to be fulfilled through the Hetwane Dam reservoir.
	Pollution potential. Apart from pollution generated from industrial operations, increased traffic in the area would give rise to air emissions. The levels of SPM, SO2, NOx, and CO are expected to rise. However as seen from the baseline data, the levels of these pollutants are generally well below the prescribed AAQ standards. Increase in vehicular traffic is not expected to significantly add to the ambient levels. Noise levels are expected to rise in the area due to increased movement of heavy vehicles.
	There are several fishing villages located at the mouth of the Karanja creek. The livelihood of these villagers is dependent to a large extent on the fishing activity. The water body is expected to be sensitive to changes in quality due to proposed disposal of treated effluent and sewage. It will therefore be required that treated effluent and sewage be disposed off by means of a marine outfall into the deep sea. Detailed studies on marine characteristics, currents tidal influences, dispersion characteristics etc are required to select the location and distance into the sea of final effluent discharge.
	Development of the SEZ would involve a large amount of construction activity that is expected to have adverse impact on the environment albeit temporarily during the construction phase. However if the environmental issues are not addressed during the construction phase, it could lead to irreversible damage to the environment.

Location, land area & acquisition | External infrastructure | Internal infrastructure
Social infrastructure | Environment assessment