Fate of more than 1,040 flats and 37 buildings is being decided without even consulting them. While Marine Drive has already been declared a heritage precinct, the move to declare it a UNESCO World Heritage site is now gathering steam. A team from UNESCO is due to visit the city this week to compile a report on the state government's nomination of the Marine Drive precinct as a World Heritage Site.
Residents of the area, however, say that despite being the primary stakeholders, they were not consulted by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or state government before proposing such a tag for the area. They voiced concerns that that any such move could stall development in the area, and would affect their chances of redeveloping buildings that are in a shabby condition.
"Come and stay in the building I am in. Whenever a new resident comes in and tries to hammer a nail on the fourth floor, a resident on the second floor can feel its impact. The situation is that bad, and if this whole area is declared a world heritage site, then we won't be able to ever redevelop our old building and will have to wait for it to fall," said Kanwal Shahpuri, a resident of Hari Niwas. According to Shahpuri, repairs have had to be carried out on the building twice.
"No one from BMC or government came to us to seek our opinion. We are residents of this area, and in a welfare state, our opinion matters and should have been taken note of," said advocate Ashok Goel. He wants a bigger and better home with modern amenities, which will be possible only if the 63-year-old building he resides in is given permission for redevelopment.
Residents of the area questioned the premise for declaring Marine Drive a World Heritage Site, as most of the older buildings in the area came up only in the 1940s and 1950s. Their concerns are echoed by the MLA of the area from BJP, Raj Purohit. "There is nothing that could be termed heritage in this area. The buildings aren't even made of the same stone, and neither do they have the same number of floors. There are hotels that are tall standing next to buildings which are smaller in size, and they all are coloured differently," Purohit said.
"When residents in the suburbs get higher FSI and are allowed to redevelop, then why should residents of Marine Drive suffer? I am ready to sit with the authorities along with the residents and have a meeting to sort out this problem," he added.
Speaking on the issue, Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta said, "The case is in Supreme Court and all, including residents, will have to wait for the final order. Meanwhile, we have submitted our policy in the court, which is in the public domain."
The policy states that the buildings along the front row of Marine Drive can go up to 32 meters, while those behind them can rise up to 58 meters.
Nitin Kareer, Principal Secretary, Urban Development (UD) said that Marine Drive was already a heritage precinct. "The development proposals from this area will be passed as per the current rules and regulations. There will not be any obstructions on development in this precinct," he said. Kareer has called a meeting with UNESCO representatives on September 8, 2017, notwithstanding the views of the residents.
However, president of Pracitising Engineers Architect Town Planners' Association (PEATA) Tarun Mota told DNA that Mumbai needs more houses, and the world heritage tag may hamper development in the area.
"In the island city, there is hardly any space for development. The UNESCO heritage tag to Marine Drive will put the redevelopment of this area's old and dilapidated buildings on the back-burner. People should not be deprived of getting more houses for their expanding families. We demand that no such tag should be given to Marine Drive precinct," Mota said.
Shahpuri said that while some commercial and government buildings in the area were in sound condition, many others were in dire need of redevelopment. "Look at our buildings, they aren't earthquake resistant, and we cannot even do anything. If our buildings are redeveloped, we will be able to park our cars inside, rather than parking them on roads."
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