Nominated Sena corporator Avkash Jadhav has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding that the panel be dissolved.
In another attack on the BJP-led state government, the Shiv Sena wants the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC) scrapped. The Sena has alleged that despite an order by the Bombay High Court, the panel, led by former bureaucrat Ramanath Jha, has failed to get yellow lights installed at Marine Drive.
Nominated Sena corporator Avkash Jadhav has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding that the panel be dissolved.
"There are no conversation experts in the new heritage committee, which was constituted recently. The earlier committee led by V Ranganathan had objected to the installation of white LED lights at Marine Drive. However, after that no action has been taken. We have complained to the new panel repeatedly, but it has not done anything. The state should dissolve the committee at the earliest," Jadhav said in his letter.
Following the formation of the new committee, activists had pointed out that for the first time in over two decades, the panel was without any independent urban design specialists and conservation architects.
"This raises serious doubts about the panel being able to record dissent against government-led projects, such as the plan to install white LED lights at Marine Drive. Hence, we have demanded that instead of having a committee which can't do anything, it rather be scrapped," Jadhav said.
According to officials, the new panel does not have any independent member with special experience in conservation architecture. "All earlier panels have had at least one such member. The new committee has not co-opted any member too," said an official. At the moment, all the architects on the panel are either government servants or holding ex-officio posts.
Jadhav had first complained to the heritage panel over the new lighting scheme last February. The MHCC had then written to the BMC asking it to change the lighting scheme at Marine Drive to either golden or yellow.
However, with the BMC not taking any action, the HC weighed in on the issue and suggested bringing back sodium vapour lamps.
After the court asked the BMC to install yellow lights at Marine Drive, Energy Efficiency Services Limited, the agency responsible for the lighting, conducted an experiment with yellow lights. Yellow LED bulbs were installed on 16 of the 644 lamps at the NCPA end of Marine Drive to see if the illumination matched with the golden glow of the old lamps.
"However, nothing has been done after that, despite HC's order. We will have no option but to move court now," Jadhav said.
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