Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal corporation (BMC) has decided to scrap the proposed elevated road over Khar Subway following opposition from residents, Bandra West MLA Ashish Shelar said on Friday. Though the tender for the project has not been cancelled, the civic body has decided not to go ahead with the proposal in its current form, said senior BMC officials. A final decision on the matter would be taken after residents’ concerns are examined and addressed, the officials added.
Hindustan Times has been reporting consistently on citizens’ protests against the BMC’s plans to link Khar West with Bandra Terminus, Santacruz East, and the Western Express Highway (WEH) in three phases since March.
On Friday, a delegation comprising Anandini Thakoor from the Khar Residents’ Association, advocate Trivankumar Karnani from the Mumbai North Central District Forum (MNCDF), and Hemal Mehta from the Santacruz East Residents’ Association (SERA) met Shelar to reiterate their concerns. The Bandra West MLA told them that he had conveyed their objections to municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, after which a decision was taken to shelve the project.
“I approached the BMC commissioner, pointed out the numerous flaws in the project and asked for it to be cancelled. I also held discussions with Hon’ble CM and Dy CM and I am glad that the project will be cancelled,” Shelar said.
He clarified that the objections of citizens and residents’ associations were not against the project per se, but to design flaws and lack of alignment with the city’s development plan. “We are not opposed to enhancing connectivity and infrastructure between the east and the west, but this proposed project fails to address key considerations outlined in the 2034 development plan,” the MLA stated in a post on social media platform X.
{{/usCountry}}He clarified that the objections of citizens and residents’ associations were not against the project per se, but to design flaws and lack of alignment with the city’s development plan. “We are not opposed to enhancing connectivity and infrastructure between the east and the west, but this proposed project fails to address key considerations outlined in the 2034 development plan,” the MLA stated in a post on social media platform X.
{{/usCountry}}“We have been examining the concerns raised by citizens,” a senior civic official told HT. “Though the proposal has not been scrapped officially yet, we will not go ahead with the tender in its present form. A final decision will be taken after we examine and resolve two key concerns of citizens – the alignment of the elevated road through a thickly populated area, over a public garden, and sharp turns at two places along the way,” he official noted.
Residents welcomed the announcement, saying it was a vindication of their concerns. “Now, we can work towards solutions to enhance east-west connectivity keeping sustainable development solutions in mind along with suggestions from citizens,” said Karnani from MNCDF.
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