…Nod will mean first reclamation of sea in 15 yrs in areas such as Nariman Point, Versova.

Plans to reclaim land from the Arabian Sea for future development in Mumbai will receive a fillip if the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests approves the long-anticipated coastal road project. Indications that the ministry was willing to look at modifications of coastal norms to permit reclamation for this project came after a meeting between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar recently.

For the coastal road, a clearance will pave the way for major reclamation in the city after a gap of nearly 15 years in areas such as Nariman Point, Haji Ali, the coast around Bandra Fort, Carter Road and Versova.

The 35.6-km coastal road, which will create a freeway from Nariman Point to Kandivali, will involve the reclamation of as much as 160 hectares. About 9.8 kilometres of the road is proposed to be built by reclamation in the sea and up to 8 kilometres by reclamation in the mangroves. The remaining 17.8 kilometres will be built as a combination of tunnels, roads on stilts, elevated roads and surface roads.

Most of the reclamation till Bandra will be from the sea. However, stretches at Carter Road, near Ritambara College in Bandra, Nana Nani Park at Seven bungalows and the stretch between Versova and Oshiwara will need reclaiming from mangroves.

Even as the city has undergone large-scale reclamation during the pre-Independence era, when the seven islands were joined and promenades such as Marine Drive were created, adverse impacts of haphazard reclamation post Independence had made reclaiming from the sea a sticky issue.

Rajesh Mangela of the Maharashtra Machchimaar Kriti Samiti said, 'There are innumerable examples of illegal construction by haphazardly dumping on mangroves and reclaiming land. A clearance to the coastal road project for reclamation will not only lead to further environmental degradation, but will also condone all these illegal activities that have taken place until now. The fishermen community has borne the brunt of previous reclamation activities in the city. Breeding grounds of fish have reduced, the tidal patterns have changes and the coastline has eroded.'

However, proponents of the coastal road cite success stories of scientific reclamation in major cities across the globe. A senior official associated with the project said, 'The coastal road will in fact create more green spaces that can be opened up for the public. Beautiful marinas and promenades can also be created for walking or cycling along the coast.'


THE INDIAN EXPRESS