Environmentalist starts online campaign against the ambitious coastal road project.
Barely two weeks after Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray suggested that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) undertake the coastal road project instead of the state, a city environmentalist has launched an online campaign opposing the project.
Recently, top BMC officials had made a presentation to Thackeray in connection with the project. It was then that he suggested to BMC to expedite work on the Rs8,000-crore project. It is considered chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s dream project, and it was he who had appointed former civic chief Subodh Kumar to submit a report on it to the state. The report was submitted nearly a year ago.
Environmentalist Rishi Aggarwal, in his petition on www.change.org, has said the project will deprive citizens of promenades and recreational areas like those along Carter Road and Bandstand in Bandra. “The mangroves will be under threat. We are living in a space-starved city. If the coastal road takes shape, we will lose whatever recreational areas we have along the coast,” he added.
He said that instead of pumping huge amount of money into this project, the funds be utilised to improve the city’s existing infrastructure like roads and footpaths, and bettering transport services. He intends to collect 10,000 signatures before taking up the issue with Chavan, BMC and other government agencies.
“If the appeal fails to get 10,000 signatures, I will withdraw the petition as a sign of public support to the coastal project,” he added. As on October 24, the petition had received 137 responses.
Aggarwal’s petition has found support from different parts of the city. Hansel D’souza, spokesperson for Juhu Citizens’ Welfare Group, which has been protesting against the project for nearly a year, said, “We are support the petition completely. Our group has already submitted a complaint to the Union minister of environment and forests against the project.”
Despite several attempts, Chavan and BMC chief Sitaram Kunte remained unavailable for comment. A senior state government official said, “The project is still at a very nascent stage. It is being planned and not even proposed to the central government. So, if there are concerns being raised, they will be heard.”
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