The new site of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Mumbai international airport which was recently shifted to make way for the new terminal, could be too close to the Vihar water pipeline, say residents of Sahar village. But, Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) has stated that the location was chosen after consulting with all government departments.
The statue was earlier located on a traffic island near the entrance to the airport at Sahar. After a lot of heated debates about where it should be shifted, the statue was finally moved to its present location near the pipeline in August. Now it seems that the statue may be too close to the water mains.
Information obtained by a Sahar resident reveals that Brihanmumbai’s hydraulic department had written to MIAL in September 2010, saying that the high-powered committee set up to study safety and hygiene conditions around the main water pipelines of the city had said that a 10-metre strip of land should be kept free around the pipes.
The information was obtained by Nicholas Almeida, a former corporator from Sahar. Residents of old Sahar village had suggested other spots for the statue. Advocate Godfrey Pimenta, a member of the East Indian community which originally owned the land where the airport now stands, said, “The airport authorities have nearly 2,000 acres of land and an appropriate site for the statue could have been next to the Western Express Highway. We always felt that the present location is not appropriate.”
MIAL said that all government agencies were consulted before the shifting. Manik Nangia, public relations officer for MIAL said, “I do not know why the issue has come up now. When we shifted the statue, we took all government agencies into confidence. MIAL has taken all government views into consideration.”
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