Coastal Road opening likely to delayed by seven months: Sources

The civic body has time and again claimed that the Coastal Road would be ready by November 2023. However, on Wednesday, BMC’s Coastal Roads department officials, on the condition of anonymity, told Hindustan Times that the project is likely to be pushed to June 2024 due to delays caused on the account of protesting fisherfolk from Worli Koliwada.

Mumbai: The deadline for opening up the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) Coastal Road to vehicular traffic is expected to be pushed by nearly seven months because of delays caused due to protests by fisherfolk from Worli Koliwada, according to sources.

Mumbai, India - February 01, 2023: Construction work of Coastal Road Project underway, at Haji Ali, Worli, in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, February 01, 2023. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The civic body has time and again claimed that the Coastal Road would be ready by November 2023. However, on Wednesday, BMC’s Coastal Roads department officials, on the condition of anonymity, told Hindustan Times that the project is likely to be pushed to June 2024 due to delays caused on the account of protesting fisherfolk from Worli Koliwada.

The community has been demanding a span of 200 metres between two piers under the Coastal Road-Sea Link interchange, for safe navigation of boats operating from Cleveland Bunder, an artisan fishing port in the koliwada.

For months on end, the BMC dismissed these demands. The dispute was finally resolved in December 2022, when the BMC agreed to provide a span of 120 metres for their boats, up from the 60 metres promised earlier (which fishers said poses a risk to life and property).

Following the change in design specifications, the BMC appointed two consultants to finalise the new design of the piers and decide on a new timeline for executing the project.

“Since construction of one pier was cancelled, the load from that portion will go on to the piers on each side. Hence, both these new piers have to be redesigned to bear 1.5 times the weight from its original capacity,” said a BMC official.

Since there was delay in resolving the demands of fisherfolks from the area, the officials said that quite a significant time from the construction season (non-monsoon season) was already lost and project deadlines will be pushed by nearly seven months.

“The vehicular traffic cannot open unless this construction is completed,” the official said adding that a report with details of the delay is expected from the consultants.

On February 28, chief minister Eknath Shinde had said in the assembly that the project is likely to be delayed, but had not specified by how long.

On September 30, 2022, the BMC had received a nod from Supreme court to continue construction of recreational facilities and citizen services along the Coastal Road. While only 25 to 30 % of the reclaimed (infill) area will be used for the Coastal Road, remaining 70 to 75% area (of 75, 31, 525 square feet) will be used for building recreational activities and citizen facilities which will include toilets, jogging track, cycle track, butterfly park, marine walkway, open theatre, children’s parks and playgrounds, police post, bus stops, underground footpath to cross the road, jetty etc.